NRLF 


A  BOOK  OF  SHORT  STORIES 


i  • 


<JAM'ES    BALDWIN 


FIFTY  FAMOUS   PEOPLE 


A  BOOK   OF  SHORT  STORIES 


BY 

JAMES   BALDWIN 


NEW  YORK  •:•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO 

AMERICAN     BOOK    COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1912,  BY 
AMERICAN   BOOK   COMPANY 

ENTERED  AT  STATIONERS'  HALL,  LONDON. 


FIFTY    FAMOUS    PEOPLE. 

w.  P.    5 


y 


vs 


P--S  H 

•  .    n/z 
MA  //o 

PREFATORY  NOTE 

ONE  of  the  best  things  to  be  said  of  the  stories  in 
this  volume  is  that,  although  they  are  not  biographi 
cal,  they  are  about  real  persons  who  actually  lived  and 
performed  their  parts  in  the  great  drama  of  the  world's 
history.  Some  of  these  persons  were  more  famous  than 
others,  yet  all  have  left  enduring  "footprints  on  the 
sands  of  time,"  and  their  names  will  not  cease  to  be 
remembered.  In  each  of  the  stories  there  is  a  basis  of 
truth  and  an  ethical  lesson  which  cannot  fail  to  have 
a  wholesome  influence ;  and  each  possesses  elements  of 
interest  which,  it  is  believed,  will  go  far  towards  prov 
ing  the  fallibility  of  the  doctrine  that  children  find 
delight  only  in  tales  of  the  imaginative  and  unreal. 
The  fact  that  there  are  a  few  more  than  fifty  famous 
people  mentioned  in  the  volume  may  be  credited  to 
the  author's  wish  to  give  good  measure. 


8 

327600 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

SAVING  THE  BIRDS        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        7 

ANOTHER  BIRD  STORY  .        .        .        .  .        .        .11 

SPEAKING  A  PIECE 14 

WRITING  A  COMPOSITION      .        ...        .        .        .18 

THE  WHISTLE        .        .        .        ...        .     .  .        .21 

THE  ETTRICK  SHEPHERD .       .        .24 

THE  CALIPH  AND  THE  POET 29 

"BECOS!  BECOS!  BECOS!"    ....  .      31 

A  LESSON  IN  HUMILITY        . 35 

THE  MIDNIGHT  RIDE    .        .        .        .     '    .        .        .        .37 

THE  BOY  AND  THE  WOLF .43 

ANOTHER  WOLF  STORY         .        .        .        .        .        .        .47 

THE  HORSESHOE  NAILS        .        .        .        .        .        f        .      51 

THE  LANDLORD'S  MISTAKE  .        .        .        .        .        .        .54 

A  LESSON  IN  MANNERS        .        .        .  ....      57 

GOING  TO  SEA       .        .  .        .        .        ,        .60 

THE  SHEPHERD-BOY  PAINTER       .        .        .  .        .62 

Two  GREAT  PAINTERS          .        .        .        .        f        .        .66 

THE  KING  AND  THE  BEES    .        .        .        .        .    -    .        .67 

OUR  FIRST  GREAT  PAINTER 71 

THE  YOUNG  SCOUT       .        .  75 

THE  LAD  WHO  RODE  SIDESADDLE         .        ,  .        .78 

THE  WHISPERERS .        .         .81 

How  A  PRINCE  LEARNED  TO  READ 85 

5 


6  Contents 

PAGE 

"  READ  AND  You  WILL  KNOW  "...  .89 

THE  YOUNG  CUPBEARER       .        .        .        ...        .91 

THE  SONS  OF  THE  CALIPH    ...  ...      96 

THE  BOY  AND  THE  ROBBERS        .        .        .        ...      98 

A  LESSON  IN  JUSTICE  .     "  .        .        .        .-  .        .101 

THE  GENERAL  AND  THE  Fox        ...        .        .         .     104 

THE  BOMB .        ...     107 

A  STORY  OF  OLD  ROME        .         .        .        .        .        ....       .     108 

SAVED  BY  A  DOLPHIN   .  .        ...        .        .     113 

"LITTLE  BROTHERS  OF  THE  AIR" 118 

A  CLEVER  SLAVE  ........         .     121 

THE  DARK  DAY    .....  ...     124 

THE  SURLY  GUEST .127 

THE  STORY  OF  A  GREAT  STORY   .        .        .        .        .        .     130 

THE  KING  AND  THE  PAGE    .  ...     136 

THE  HUNTED  KING       .        .        .        .....        .138 

"  TRY,  TRY  AGAIN  ! "     .        .        .  .        .  .142 

WHY  HE  CARRIED  THE  TURKEY 143 

THE  PADDLE-WHEEL  BOAT  .  .  146 

THE  CALIPH  AND  THE  GARDENER        .        .  .        .     150 

THE  COWHERD  WHO  BECAME  A  POET          .  .        .     15C 

THE  LOVER  OF  MEN    .......  .     162 

THE  CHARCOAL  MAN  AND  THE  KING 160 

WHICH  WAS  THE  KING  ?        .        .        .  .        .        .     17,5 

THE  GOLDEN  TRIPOD    .        .        .     •  .  177 


FIFTY  FAMOUS   PEOPLE 

SAVING  THE  BIRDS 

ONE  day  in  spring  four  men  were  riding  on  horse 
back  along  a  country  road.  These  men  were  lawyers, 
and  they  were  going  to  the  next  town  to  attend  court. 

There  had  been  a  rain,  and  the  ground  was  very  soft. 
Water  was  dripping  from  the  trees,  and  the  grass  was 
wet. 

The  four  lawyers  rode  along,  one  behind  another; 
for  the  pathway  was  narrow,  and  the  mud  on  each  side 
of  it  was  deep.  They  rode  slowly,  and  talked  and 
laughed  and  were  very  jolly. 

As  they  were  passing  through  a  grove  of  small  trees, 
they  heard  a  great  fluttering  over  their  heads  and  a 
feeble  chirping  in  the  grass  by  the  roadside. 

"Stith  !  stith  !  stith  !"  came  from  the  leafy  branches 
above  them. 

"Cheep  !  cheep  !  cheep  !"  came  from  the  wet  grass. 

"What  is  the  matter  here?"  asked  the  first  lawyer, 
whose  name  was  Speed. 

7 


8  Abraham  Lincoln 

"Oh,  it's  only  some  old  robins!"  said  the  second 
lawyer,  whose  name  was  Hardin.  "The  storm  has 
blown  two  of  the  little  ones  out  of  the  nest.  They  are 
too  young  to  fly,  and  the  mother  bird  is  making  a 
great  fuss  about  it." 

"What  a  pity  !  They'll  die  down  there  in  the  grass," 
said  the  third  lawyer,  whose  name  I  forget. 

"Oh,  well!  They're  nothing  but  birds,"  said  Mr. 
Hardin.  "  Why  should  we  bother  ?  " 

"  Yes,  why  should  we  ?  "  said  Mr.  Speed. 

The  three  men,  as  they  passed,  looked  down  and  saw 
the  little  birds  fluttering  in  the  cold,  wet  grass.  They 
saw  the  mother  robin  flying  about,  and  crying  to  her 
mate. 

Then  they  rode  on,  talking  and  laughing  as  before. 
In  a  few  minutes  they  had  forgotten  about  the  birds. 

But  the  fourth  lawyer,  whose  name  was  Abraham 
Lincoln,  stopped.  He  got  down  from  his  horse  and 
very  gently  took  the  little  ones  up  in  his  big  warm 
hands. 

They  did  not  seem  frightened,  but  chirped  softly,  as 
if  they  knew  they  were  safe. 

"Never  mind,  my  little  fellows,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln. 
"I  will  put  you  in  your  own  cozy  little  bed," 


Saving  the  Birds 


Then  he  looked  up  to  find  the  nest  from  which  they 
had  fallen.  It  was  high,  much  higher  than  he  could 
reach. 


10  Abraham  Lincoln 

But  Mr.  Lincoln  could  climb.  He  had  climbed  many 
a  tree  when  he  was  a  boy. 

He  put  the  birds  softly,  one  by  one,  into  their  warm 
little  home.  Two  other  baby  birds  were  there,  that 
had  not  fallen  out.  All  cuddled  down  together  and 
were  very  happy. 

Soon  the  three  lawyers  who  had  ridden  ahead 
stopped  at  a  spring  to  give  their  horses  water. 

"Where  is  Lincoln?"  asked  one. 

All  were  surprised  to  find  that  he  was  not  with  them. 

"Do  you  remember  those  birds?"  said  Mr.  Speed. 
"Very  likely  he  has  stopped  to  take  care  of  them." 

In  a  few  minutes  Mr.  Lincoln  joined  them.  His  shoes 
were  covered  with  mud ;  he  had  torn  his  coat  on  the 
thorny  tree. 

"Hello,  Abraham!"  said  Mr.  Hardin.  "Where 
have  you  been?" 

"I  stopped  a  minute  to  give  those  birds  to  their 
mother,"  he  answered. 

"Well,  we  always  thought  you  were  a  hero,"  said 
Mr.  Speed.  "  Now  we  know  it." 

Then  all  three  of  them  laughed  heartily.  They 
thought  it  so  foolish  that  a  strong  man  should  take  so 
much  trouble  just  for  some  worthless  young  birds. 


Another  Bird  Story  11 

"Gentlemen/'  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "I  could  not  have 
slept  to-night,  if  I  had  left  those  helpless  little  robins 
to  perish  in  the  wet  grass." 

Abraham  Lincoln  afterwards  became  very  famous 
as  a  lawyer  and  statesman.  He  was  elected  president. 
Next  to  Washington  he  was  the  greatest  American. 

ANOTHER  BIRD  STORY 

A  GREAT  battle  had  begun.  Cannon  were  booming, 
some  far  away,  some  near  at  hand.  Soldiers  were 
marching  through  the  fields.  Men  on  horseback  were 
riding  in  haste  toward  the  front. 

"Whiz!"  A  cannon  ball  struck  the  ground  quite 
near  to  a  company  of  soldiers.  But  they  marched 
straight  onward.  The  drums  were  beating,  the  fifes 
were  playing. 

"Whiz  !"  Another  cannon  ball  flew  through  the  air 
and  struck  a  tree  near  by.  A  brave  general  was  riding 
across  the  field.  One  ball  after  another  came  whizzing 
near  him. 

"General,  you  are  in  danger  here,"  said  an  officer 
who  was  riding  with  him.  "  You  had  better  fall  back 
to  a  place  of  safety." 


12 


Robert  E.  Lee 


But  the  general  rode  on. 

Suddenly  he  stopped  at  the  foot  of  a  tree.  "Halt !" 
he  cried  to  the  men  who  were  with  him.  He  leaped 
from  his  horse.  He  stooped  and  picked  up  a  bird's 


Another  Bird  Story  13 

nest  that  had  fallen  upon  the  ground.  In  the  nest 
were  some  tiny,  half-fledged  birds.  Their  mouths  were 
open  for  the  food  they  were  expecting  their  mother  to 
give  them. 

"I  cannot  think  of  leaving  these  little  things  here  to 
•be  trampled  upon/'  said  the  general. 

He  lifted  the  nest  gently  and  put  it  in  a  safe  place  in 
the  forks  of  the  tree. 

"  Whiz  ! "     Another  cannon  ball. 

He  leaped  into  the  saddle,  and  away  he  dashed  with 
his  officers  close  behind  him. 

"Whiz!  whiz!  whiz!" 

He  had  done  one  good  deed.  He  would  do  many 
more  before  the  war  was  over. 

"Boom!  boom!  boom!" 

The  cannon  were  roaring,  the  balls  were  flying,  the 
battle  was  raging.  But  amid  all  the  turmoil  and 
danger,  the  little  birds  chirped  happily  in  the  safe 
shelter  where  the  great  general,  Robert  E.  Lee,  had 
placed  them. 

"  He  prayeth  best,  who  loveth  best 
All  things  both  great  and  small ; 
For  the  dear  God  who  loveth  us, 
He  made  and  loveth  all." 


14  Edward  Everett 

SPEAKING  A  PIECE 

Two  children,  brother  and  sister,  were  on  their  way 
to  school.  Both  were  very  small.  The  boy  was  only 
four  years  old,  and  the  girl  was  not  yet  six. 

"Come,  Edward,  we  must  hurry,"  said  the  sister. 
"We  must  not  be  late." 

With  one  hand  the  little  boy  clung  to  his  sister's  arm, 
and  with  the  other  he  held  his  primer. 

This  primer  was  his  only  book,  and  he  loved  it.  It 
had  a  bright  blue  cover,  which  he  was  careful  not  to  soil. 
And  in  it  were  some  odd  little  pictures,  which  he  never 
grew  tired  of  looking  at. 

Edward  could  spell  nearly  all  the  words  in  his  primer, 
and  he  could  read  quite  well. 

The  school  was  more  than  a  mile  from  their  home,  and 
the  children  trotted  along  as  fast  as  their  short  legs  could 
carry  them. 

At  a  place  where  two  roads  crossed,  they  saw  a  tall 
gentleman  coming  to  meet  them.  He  was  dressed  in 
black,  and  had  a  very  pleasant  face. 

"Oh,  Edward,  there  is  Mr.  Harris!"  whispered  the 
little  girl,  "Don't  forget  your  manners." 

They  were  glad  to  see  Mr.  Harris,  for  he  was  the  min- 


Speaking  a  Piece 


15 


ister.     They  stopped  by  the  side  of  the  road  and  made 
their  manners.     Edward  bowed  very  gracefully,  and  his 

sister  curtsied. 

"Good morning,  children  !"  said 

the  minister ;  and  he  kindly  shook 

hands  with  both. 


"  I     have     something 
here  for  little  Edward/' 


he  said.     Then  he  took  from  his  pocket  a  sheet  of  paper 
on  which  some  verses  were  written. 

"See!     It  is  a  little  speech  that  I  have  written  for 


16  Edward  Everett 

him.  The  teacher  will  soon  ask  him  to  speak  a  piec< 
at  school,  and  I  am  sure  that  he  can  learn  this  easib 
and  speak  it  well." 

Edward  took  the  paper  and  thanked  the  kind  minister 

"Mother  will  help  him  learn  it,"  said  his  sister. 

"Yes,  I  will  try  to  learn  it,"  said  Edward. 

"Do  so,  my  child,"  said  the  minister;  "and  I  hopi 
that  when  you  grow  up  you  will  become  a  wise  man  an< 
a  great  orator." 

Then  the  two  children  hurried  on  to  school. 

The  speech  was  not  hard  to  learn,  and  Edward  sooi 
knew  every  word  of  it.  When  the  time  came  for  hin 
to  speak,  his  mother  and  the  minister  were  both  then 
to  hear  him. 

He  spoke  so  well  that  everybody  was  pleased.  Hi 
pronounced  every  word  plainly,  as  though  he  were  talk 
ing  to  his  schoolmates. 

Would  you  like  to  read  his  speech  ?     Here  it  is :  — 

Pray,  how  shall  I,  a  little  lad, 

In  speaking  make  a  figure  ? 
You're  only  joking,  I'm  afraid  — 

Just  wait  till  I  am  bigger. 

But  since  you  wish  to  hear  my  part, 
And  urge  me  to  begin  it, 


Speaking  a  Piece  17 

I'll  strive  for  praise  with  all  my  heart, 
Though  small  the  hope  to  win  it. 

I'll  tell  a  tale  how  Farmer  John 

A  little  roan  colt  bred,  sir, 
Which  every  night  and  every  morn 

He  watered  and  he  fed,  sir. 

Said  Neighbor  Joe  to  Farmer  John, 

"You  surely  are  a  dolt,  sir, 
To  spend  such  time  and  care  upon 

A  little  useless  colt,  sir." 

Said  Farmer  John  to  Neighbor  Joe, 
"I  bring  my  little  roan  up 
Not  for  the  good  he  now  can  do, 
But  will  do  when  he's  grown  up/' 

The  moral  you  can  plainly  see, 

To  keep  the  tale  from  spoiling, 
The  little  colt  you  think  is  me  — 

I  know  it  by  your  smiling. 

And  now,  my  friends,  please  to  excuse 

My  lisping  and  my  stammers ; 
I,  for  this  once,  have  done  my  best, 

And  so  —  I'll  make  my  manners. 

The  little  boy's  name  was  Edward  Everett.  He 
grew  up  to  become  a  famous  man  and  one  of  our 
greatest  orators. 

FIFTY  FAMOUS    PEOPLE 2 


18  Henry  W.  Longfellow 

WRITING  A  COMPOSITION 

"CHILDREN,  to-morrow  I  shall  expect  all  of  you  to 
write  compositions,"  said  the  teacher  of  Love  Lane 
School.  "Then,  on  Friday  those  who  have  done  the 
best  may  stand  up  and  read  their  compositions  to  the 
school." 

Some  of  the  children  were  pleased,  and  some  were  not. 

"What  shall  we  write  about?"  they  asked. 

"You  may  choose  any  subject  that  you  like  best," 
said  the  teacher. 

Some  of  them  thought  that  "Home"  was  a  good 
subject.  Others  liked  "School."  One  little  boy  chose 
"The  Horse."  A  little  girl  said  she  would  write  about 
"Summer." 

The  next  day,  every  pupil  except  one  had  written 
a  composition. 

"Henry  Longfellow,"  said  the  teacher,  "why  have 
you  not  written?" 

"Because  I  don't  know  how,"  answered  Henry.  He 
was  only  a  child. 

"Well,"  said  the  teacher,  "you  can  write  words,  can 
you  not?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  the  boy. 


Writing  a  Composition  19 

"After  you  have  written  three  or  four  words,  you  can 
put  them  together,  can  you  not?" 

"Yes,  sir;  I  think  so." 

"Well,  then,"  said  the  teacher,  "you  may  take  your 
slate  and  go  out  behind  the  schoolhouse  for  half  an  hour. 
Think  of  something  to  write  about,  and  write  the  word 
on  your  slate.  Then  try  to  tell  what  it  is,  what  it  is 
like,  what  it  is  good  for,  and  what  is  done  with  it.  That 
is  the  way  to  write  a  composition." 

Henry  took  his  slate  and  went  out.  Just  behind  the 
schoolhouse  was  Mr.  Finney's  barn.  Quite  close  to  the 
barn  was  a  garden.  And  in  the  garden,  Henry  saw  a 
turnip. 

"Well,  I  know  what  that  is, "  he  said  to  himself ;  and 
he  wrote  the  word  turnip  on  his  slate.  Then  he  tried 
to  tell  what  it  was  like,  what  it  was  good  for,  and  what 
was  done  with  it. 

Before  the  half  hour  was  ended  he  had  written  a  very 
neat  composition  on  his  slate.  He  then  went  into  the 
house,  and  waited  while  the  teacher  read  it. 

The  teacher  was  surprised  and  pleased.  He  said, 
"Henry  Longfellow,  you  have  done  very  well.  To 
morrow  you  may  stand  up  before  the  school  and  read 
what  you  have  written  about  the  turnip." 


20  Henry  W.  Longfellow 

Many  years  after  that,  some  funny  little  verses 
about  Mr.  Finney's  turnip  were  printed  in  a  newspaper. 
Some  people  said  that  they  were  what  Henry  Long 
fellow  wrote  on  his  slate  that  day  at  school. 

But  this  was  not  true.  Henry's  composition  was 
not  in  verse.  As  soon  as  it  was  read  to  the  school,  he 
rubbed  it  off  the  slate,  and  it  was  forgotten. 

Perhaps  you  would  like  to  read  those  funny  verses. 
Here  they  are ;  but  you  must  never,  never,  NEVER  think 
that  Henry  Longfellow  wrote  them. 

Mr.  Finney  had  a  turnip, 

And  it  grew,  and  it  grew ; 
It  grew  behind  the  barn, 

And  the  turnip  did  no  harm. 

And  it  grew,  and  it  grew, 

Till  it  could  grow  no  taller ; 
Then  Mr.  Finney  took  it  up, 

And  put  it  in  the  cellar. 

There  it  lay,  there  it  lay, 

Till  it  began  to  rot ; 
Then  Susie  Finney  washed  it 

And  put  it  in  a  pot. 

She  boiled  it,  and  boiled  it, 
As  long  as  she  was  able ; 


The  Whistle  21 

Then  Mrs.  Finney  took  it, 
And  put  it  on  the  table. 

Mr.  Finney  and  his  wife 

Both  sat  down  to  sup ; 
And  they  ate,  and  they  ate, 

They  ate  the  turnip  up. 

All  the  school  children  in  our  country  have  heard  of 
Henr^  W.  Longfellow.  He  was  the  best  loved  of  all 
our  poets.  He  wrote  "The  Village  Blacksmith/' 
"The  Children's  Hour/'  and  many  other  beautiful 
pieces  which  you  will  like  to  read  and  remember. 


THE  WHISTLE 

Two  hundred  years  ago  there  lived  in  Boston  a  little 
boy  whose  name  was  Benjamin  Franklin. 

On  the  day  that  he  was  seven  years  old,  his  mother 
gave  him  a  few  pennies. 

He  looked  at  the  bright,  yellow  pieces  and  said, 
"What  shall  I  do  with  these  coppers,  mother?" 

It  was  the  first  money  that  he  had  ever  had. 

"You  may  buy  something,  if  you  wish/'  said  his 
mother. 

"And  then  will  you  give  me  more?"  he  asked. 


22  Benjamin  Franklin 

His  mother  shook  her  head  and  said:  "No,  Benja 
min.  I  cannot  give  you  any  more.  So  you  must  be 
careful  not  to  spend  these  foolishly." 

The  little  fellow  ran  into  the  street.  He  heard  the 
pennies  jingle  in  his  pocket.  How  rich  he  was ! 

Boston  is  now  a  great  city,  but  at  that  time  it  was  only 
a  little  town.  There  were  not  many  stores. 

As  Benjamin  ran  down  the  street,  he  wondered  what 
he  should  buy.  Should  he  buy  candy?  He  hardly 
knew  how  it  tasted.  Should  he  buy  a  pretty  toy  ? 

If  he  had  been  the  only  child  in  the  family,  things 
might  have  been  different.  But  there  were  fourteen 
boys  and  girls  older  than  he,  and  two  little  sisters  who 
were  younger. 

What  a  big  family  it  was !  And  the  father  was  a  poor 
man.  No  wonder  the  lad  had  never  owned  a  toy. 

He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  met  a  larger  boy,  who 
was  blowing  a  whistle. 

"I  wish  I  had  that  whistle,"  he  said. 

The  big  boy  looked  at  him  and  blew  it  again.  Oh, 
what  a  pretty  sound  it  made ! 

"I  have  some  pennies,"  said  Benjamin.  He  held 
them  in  his  hand,  and  showed  them  to  the  boy.  "You 
may  have  them,  if  you  will  give  me  the  whistle." 


The  Whistle  23 

"All  of  them?" 

"Yes,  all  of  them." 

"Well,  it's  a  bargain/'  said  the  boy ;  and  he  gave  the 
whistle  to  Benjamin,  and  took  the  pennies. 

Little  Benjamin  Franklin  was  very  happy;  for  he 
was  only  seven  years  old.  He  ran  home  as  fast  as  he 
could,  blowing  the  whistle  as  he  ran. 

"See,  mother,"  he  said,  "I  have  bought  a  whistle." 

"How  much  did  you  pay  for  it?" 

"All  the  pennies  you  gave  me." 

"Oh,  Benjamin!" 

One  of  his  brothers  asked  to  see  the  whistle. 

"Well,  well !"  he  said.  "You've  paid  a  dear  price 
for  this  thing.  It's  only  a  penny  whistle,  and  a  poor 
one  at  that." 

"You  might  have  bought  half  a  dozen  such  whistles 
with  the  money  I  gave  you,"  said  his  mother. 

The  little  boy  saw  what  a  mistake  he  had  made.  The 
whistle  did  not  please  him  any  more.  He  threw  it  upon 
the  floor  and  began  to  cry. 

"Never  mind,  my  child,"  said  his  mother,  very  kindly. 
"You  are  only  a  very  little  boy,  and  you  will  learn  a 
great  deal  as  you  grow  bigger.  The  lesson  you  have 
learned  to-day  is  never  to  pay  too  dear  for  a  whistle." 


24  James  Hogg 

Benjamin  Franklin  lived  to  be  a  very  old  man,  but  he 
never  forgot  that  lesson. 

Every  boy  and  girl  should  remember  the  name  of 
Benjamin  Franklin.  He  was  a  great  thinker  and  a 
great  doer,  and  with  Washington  he  helped  to  make  our 
country  free.  His  life  was  such  that  no  man  could 
ever  say,  "Ben  Franklin  has  wronged  me/' 


THE  ETTRICK  SHEPHERD 
I 

IN  Scotland  there  once  lived  a  poor  shepherd  whose 
name  was  James  Hogg.  His  father  and  grandfather  and 
great-grandfather  had  all  been  shepherds. 

It  was  his  business  to  take  care  of  the  sheep  which 
belonged  to  a  rich  landholder  by  the  Ettrick  Water. 
Sometimes  he  had  several  hundreds  of  lambs  to  look 
after.  He  drove  these  to  the  pastures  on  the  hills  and 
watched  them  day  after  day  while  they  fed  on  the  short 
green  grass. 

He  had  a  dog  which  he  called  Sirrah.  This  dog 
helped  him  watch  the  sheep.  He  would  drive  them 
from  place  to  place  as  his  master  wished.  Sometimes 


The  Ettrick  Shepherd  25 

he  would  take  care  of  the  whole  flock  while  the  shepherd 
was  resting  or  eating  his  dinner. 

One  dark  night  James  Hogg  was  on  the  hilltop  with 
a  flock  of  seven  hundred  lambs.  Sirrah  was  with  him. 
Suddenly  a  storm  came  up.  There  was  thunder  and 
lightning ;  the  wind  blew  hard ;  the  rain  poured. 

The  poor  lambs  were  frightened.  The  shepherd  and 
his  dog  could  not  keep  them  together.  Some  of  them 
ran  towards  the  east,  some  towards  the  west,  and  some 
towards  the  south. 

The  shepherd  soon  lost  sight  of  them  in  the  darkness. 
With  his  lighted  lantern  in  his  hand,  he  went  up  and 
down  the  rough  hills  calling  for  his  lambs. 

Two  or  three  other  shepherds  joined  him  in  the 
search.  All  night  long  they  sought  for  the  lambs. 

Morning  came  and  still  they  sought.  They  looked, 
as  they  thought,  in  every  place  where  the  lambs  might 
have  taken  shelter. 

At  last  James  Hogg  said,  "It's  of  no  use ;  all  we  can 
do  is  to  go  home  and  tell  the  master  that  we  have  lost 
his  whole  flock." 

They  had  walked  a  mile  or  two  towards  home,  when 
they  came  to  the  edge  of  a  narrow  and  deep  ravine. 
They  looked  down,  and  at  the  bottom  they  saw  some 


26 


James  Hogg 


lambs  huddled  together  among  the  rocks.  And  there 
was  Sirrah  standing  guard  over  them  and  looking  all 
around  for  help. 


"  These  must  be  the  lambs  that  rushed  off  towards 
the  south,"  said  James  Hogg. 

The  men  hurried  down  and  soon  saw  that  the  flock 
was  a  large  one. 


The  Ettrick  Shepherd  27 

"I  really  believe  they  are  all  here/'  said  one. 

They  counted  them  and  were  surprised  to  find  that 
not  one  lamb  of  the  great  flock  of  seven  hundred  was 
missing. 

How  had  Sirrah  managed  to  get  the  three  scattered 
divisions  together  ?  How  had  he  managed  to  drive  all 
the  frightened  little  animals  into  this  place  of  safety  ? 

Nobody  could  answer  these  questions.  But  there 
was  no  shepherd  in  Scotland  that  could  have  done  better 
than  Sirrah  did  that  night. 

Long  afterward  James  Hogg  said,  "I  never  felt  so 
grateful  to  any  creature  below  the  sun  as  I  did  to  Sirrah 
that  morning." 

II 

When  James  Hogg  was  a  boy,  his  parents  were  too 
poor  to  send  him  to  school.  By  some  means,  however, 
he  learned  to  read ;  and  after  that  he  loved  nothing  so 
much  as  a  good  book. 

There  were  no  libraries  near  him,  and  it  was  hard  for 
him  to  get  books.  But  he  was  anxious  to  learn.  When 
ever  he  could  buy  or  borrow  a  volume  of  prose  or  verse 
he  carried  it  with  him  until  he  had  read  it  through. 
While  watching  his  flocks,  he  spent  much  of  his  time  in 
reading. 


28  James  Hogg 

He  loved  poetry  and  soon  began  to  write  poems  of  his 
own.  These  poems  were  read  and  admired  by  many 
people. 

The  name  of  James  Hogg  became  known  all  over 
Scotland.  He  was  often  called  the  Ettrick  Shepherd, 
because  he  was  the  keeper  of  sheep  near  the  Ettrick 
Water. 

Many  of  his  poems  are  still  read  and  loved  by  children 
as  well  as  by  grown  up  men  and  women.  Here  is  one :  — 

A  BOY'S  SONG 

Where  the  pools  are  bright  and  deep, 
Where  the  gray  trout  lies  asleep, 
Up  the  river  and  o'er  the  lea, 
That's  the  way  for  Billy  and  me. 

Where  the  blackbird  sings  the  latest, 
Where  the  hawthorn  blooms  the  sweetest, 
Where  the  nestlings  chirp  and  flee, 
That's  the  way  for  Billy  and  me. 

Where  the  mowers  mow  the  cleanest, 
Where  the  hay  lies  thick  and  greenest, 
There  to  trace  the  homeward  bee, 
That's  the  way  for  Billy  and  me. 

Where  the  hazel  bank  is  steepest, 
Where  the  shadow  falls  the  deepest, 


The  Caliph  and  the  Poet         29 

Where  the  clustering  nuts  fall  free, 
That's  the  way  for  Billy  and  me. 

Why  the  boys  should  drive  away, 
Little  maidens  from  their  play, 
Or  love  to  banter  and  fight  so  well, 
That's  the  thing  I  never  could  tell. 

But  this  I  know,  I  love  to  play 
In  the  meadow,  among  the  hay  - 
Up  the  water,  and  o'er  the  lea, 
That's  the  way  for  Billy  and  me. 


THE  CALIPH  AND  THE  POET 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  famous  Arab  1  whose 
name  was  Al  Mansur.  He  was  the  ruler  of  all  the 
Arabs,  and  was  therefore  called  the  caliph.2 

Al  Mansur  loved  poetry  and  was  fond  of  hearing 
poets  repeat  their  own  verses.  Sometimes,  if  a  poem 
was  very  pleasing,  he  gave  the  poet  a  prize. 

One  day  a  poet  whose  name  was  Thalibi 3  came  to  the 
caliph  and  recited  a  long  poem.  When  he  had  finished, 
he  bowed,  and  waited,  hoping  that  he  would  be  re 
warded. 

"Which  would  you  rather  have,"  asked  the  caliph, 

» Ar'ab.          *  Caliph  (pronounced  ka'lif ).         »  Thai  iT>t 


30  Al  Mansur 

"three  hundred  pieces  of  gold,  or  three  wise  sayings 
from  my  lips?" 

The  poet  wished  very  much  to  please  the  caliph.  So 
he  said,  "Oh,  my  master,  everybody  should  choose  wis 
dom  rather  than  wealth/' 

The  caliph  smiled,  and  said,  "Very  well,  then,  listen 
to  my  first  wise  saying :  When  your  coat  is  worn  out, 
don't  sew  on  a  new  patch ;  it  will  look  ugly." 

"Oh,  dear!"  moaned  the  poet.  "There  go  a  hun 
dred  gold  pieces  all  at  once." 

The  caliph  smiled  again.  Then  he  said,  "Listen 
now  to  my  second  word  of  wisdom.  It  is  this :  When 
you  oil  your  beard,  don't  oil  it  too  much,  lest  it  soil  your 
clothing." 

"Worse  and  worse!"  groaned  the  poor  poet. 
"There  go  the  second  hundred.  What  shall  I 
do?" 

"Wait,  and  I  will  tell  you,"  said  the  caliph ;  and  he 
smiled  again.  "My  third  wise  saying  is - 

"0  caliph,  have  mercy  !"  cried  the  poet.  "Keep  the 
third  piece  of  wisdom  for  your  own  use,  and  let  me 
have  the  gold." 

The  caliph  laughed  outright,  and  so  did  every  one 
that  heard  him.  Then  he  ordered  his  treasurer  to  pay 


'  Becos  !  Becos  !  Becos  ! '          31 

the  poet  five  hundred  pieces  of  gold ;   for,  indeed,  the 
poem  which  he  had  recited  was  wonderfully  fine. 

The  caliph,  Al  Mansur,  lived  nearly  twelve  hundred 
years  ago.  He  was  the  builder  of  a  famous  and  beau 
tiful  city  called  Bagdad. 

"BECOS!   BECOS!   BECOS !" 

THOUSANDS  of  years  ago  the  greatest  country  in  the 
world  was  Egypt. 

It  was  a  beautiful  land  lying  on  both  sides  of  the 
wonderful  river  Nile.  In  it  were  many  great  cities; 
and  from  one  end  of  it  to  the  other  there  were  broad 
fields  of  grain  and  fine  pastures  for  sheep  and  cattle. 

The  people  of  Egypt  were  very  proud ;  for  they  be 
lieved  that  they  were  the  first  and  oldest  of  all  nations. 

"  It  was  in  our  country  that  the  first  men  and  women 
lived/'  they  said.  "All  the  people  of  the  world  were 
once  Egyptians. " 

A  king  of  Egypt,  whose  name  was  Psammeticus,1 
wished  to  make  sure  whether  this  was  true  or  not. 
How  could  he  find  out  ? 

He  tried  first  one  plan  and  then  another ;  but  none  of 

1  Psammeticus  (pro.  sain  met'i  kus). 


32  King  Psammeticus 

them  proved  anything  at  all.  Then  he  called  his  wis 
est  men  together  and  asked  them,  "Is  it  really  true 
that  the  first  people  in  the  world  were  Egyptians?" 

They  answered,  "We  cannot  tell  you,  0  King;  for 
none  of  our  histories  go  back  so  far." 

Then  Psammeticus  tried  still  another  plan. 

He  sent  out  among  the  poor  people  of  the  city  and 
found  two  little  babies  who  had  never  heard  a  word 
spoken.  He  gave  these  to  a  shepherd  and  ordered  him 
to  bring  them  up  among  his  sheep,  far  from  the  homes 
of  men. 

"You  must  never  speak  a  word  to  them,"  said  the 
king;  "and  you  must  not  permit  any  person  to  speak 
in  their  hearing." 

The  shepherd  did  as  he  was  bidden.  He  took  the 
children  far  away  to  a  green  valley  where  his  flocks 
were  feeding.  There  he  cared  for  them  with  love  and 
kindness ;  but  no  word  did  he  speak  in  their  hearing. 

They  grew  up  healthy  and  strong.  They  played 
with  the  lambs  in  the  field  and  saw  no  human  being 
but  the  shepherd. 

Thus  two  or  three  years  went  by.  Then,  one  eve 
ning  when  the  shepherd  came  home  from  a  visit  to  the 
city,  he  was  delighted  to  see  the  children  running  out  to 


"  Becos  !  Becos  !  Becos  ! 


33 


meet  him.     They  held  up  their  hands,  as  though  asking 
for  something,  and  cried  out,  "Becos  !  becos  !  becos  !" 


The  shepherd  led 
them  gently  back  to 
the  hut  and  gave  them 

their  usual  supper  of  bread  and  milk.  He  said  nothing 
to  them,  but  wondered  where  they  had  heard  the 
strange  word  "becos,"  and  what  was  its  meaning. 

After  that,  whenever  the  children  were  hungry,  they 
cried  out,  "  Becos  !  becos!  becos!"  till  the  shepherd 
gave  them  something  to  eat. 

Some  time  later,  the  shepherd  went  to  the  city  and 

FIFTY    FAMOUS    PEOPLE 3 


34  King  Psammeticus 

told  the  king  that  the  children  had  learned  to  speak 
one  word,  but  how  or  from  whom,  he  did  not  know. 

"What  is  that  word  ?"  asked  the  king. 

"Becos." 

Then  the  king  called  one  of  the  wisest  scholars  in 
Egypt  and  asked  him  what  the  word  meant. 

"Becos/'  said  the  wise  man,  "is  a  Phrygian1  word, 
and  it  means  bread." 

"Then  what  shall  we  understand  by  these  children 
being  able  to  speak  a  Phrygian  word  which  they  have 
never  heard  from  other  lips?"  asked  the  king. 

"We  are  to  understand  that  the  Phrygian  language 
was  the  first  of  all  languages/'  was  the  answer.  "  These 
children  are  learning  it  just  as  the  first  people  who  lived 
on  the  earth  learned  it  in  the  beginning/' 

"Therefore,"  said  the  king,  "must  we  conclude  that 
the  Phrygians  were  the  first  and  oldest  of  all  the 
nations  ?  " 

"Certainly,"  answered  the  wise  man. 

And  from  that  time  the  Egyptians  always  spoke  of 
the  Phrygians  as  being  of  an  older  race  than  themselves. 

This  was  an  odd  way  of  proving  something,  for,  as 
every  one  can  readily  see,  it  proved  nothing. 

1  Phrygian  (pro.  frij'i  an). 


A  Lesson  in  Humility  35 

A  LESSON   IN  HUMILITY 

ONE  day  the  caliph,  Haroun-al-Raschid,1  made  a  great 
feast.  The  feast  was  held  in  the  grandest  room  of  the 
palace.  The  walls  and  ceiling  glittered  with  gold  and 
precious  gems.  The  table  was  decorated  with  rare  and 
beautiful  plants  and  flowers. 

All  the  noblest  men  of  Persia  2  and  Arabia 3  were 
there.  Many  wise  men  and  poets  and  musicians  had 
also  been  invited. 

In  the  midst  of  the  feast  the  caliph  called  upon  the 
poet,  Abul  Atayah,4  and  said,  "  0  prince  of  verse  makers, 
show  us  thy  skill.  Describe  in  verse  this  glad  and 
glorious  feast." 

The  poet  rose  and  began :  "Live,  0  caliph,  and  enjoy 
thyself  in  the  shelter  of  thy  lofty  palace/' 

"That  is  a  good  beginning,"  said  Raschid.  "Let  us 
hear  the  rest." 

The  poet  went  on:  "May  each  morning  bring  thee 
some  new  joy.  May  each  evening  see  that  all  thy 
wishes  have  been  performed." 

"Good!   good!"  said  the  caliph.    "Go  on." 

1  Haroun-al-Raschid  (pro.  ha  roon'  al  rash'id). 

2  Per'sia.  3  A  ra'bi  a.         4  A'bul  Ata'yah. 


36 


Haroun-al-Raschid 


The  poet  bowed  his  head  and  obeyed:  "But  when 
the  hour  of  death  comes,  0  my  caliph,  then  alas  !  thou 
wilt  learn  that  all  thy  delights  were  but  a  shadow." 


The  caliph's  eyes  were  filled  with  tears.     Emotion 
choked  him.    He  covered  his  face  and  wept. 


The  Midnight  Ride  37 

Then  one  of  the  officers,  who  was  sitting  near  the  poet, 
cried  out:  "Stop!  The  caliph  wished  you  to  amuse 
him  with  pleasant  thoughts,  and  you  have  filled  his 
mind  with  melancholy." 

"Let  the  poet  alone,"  said  Raschid.  "He  has  seen 
me  in  my  blindness,  and  is  trying  to  open  my  eyes." 

Haroun-al-Raschid  (Aaron  the  Just)  was  the  greatest 
of  all  the  caliphs  of  Bagdad.  In  a  wonderful  book, 
called  "The  Arabian  Nights,"  there  are  many  interest 
ing  stories  about  him. 


THE  MIDNIGHT  RIDE 

Listen,  my  children,  and  you  shall  hear 
Of  the  midnight  ride  of  Paul  Revere. 

LONGFELLOW. 

THE  midnight  ride  of  Paul  Revere  happened  a  long 
time  ago  when  this  country  was  ruled  by  the  king  of 
England. 

There  were  thousands  of  English  soldiers  in  Boston. 
The  king  had  sent  them  there  to  make  the  people  obey 
his  unjust  laws.  These  soldiers  guarded  the  streets  of 
the  town ;  they  would  not  let  any  one  go  out  or  come 
in  without  their  leave. 


38  Paul  Revere 

The  people  did  not  like  this.  They  said,  "We  have 
a  right  to  be  free  men,  but  the  king  treats  us  as  slaves. 
He  makes  us  pay  taxes  and  gives  us  nothing  in  re 
turn.  He  sends  soldiers  among  us  to  take  away  our 
liberty." 

The  whole  country  was  stirred  up.  Brave  men  left 
their  homes  and  hurried  toward  Boston. 

They  said,  "We  do  not  wish  to  fight  against  the  king, 
but  we  are  free  men,  and  he  must  not  send  soldiers  to 
oppress  us.  If  the  people  of  Boston  must  fight  for 
their  liberty,  we  will  help  them." 

These  men  were  not  afraid  of  the  king's  soldiers. 
Some  of  them  camped  in  Charlestown,1  a  village  near 
Boston.  From  the  hills  of  Charlestown  they  could 
watch  and  see  what  the  king's  soldiers  were  doing. 

They  wished  to  be  ready  to  defend  themselves,  if  the 
soldiers  should  try  to  do  them  harm.  For  this  reason 
they  had  bought  some  powder  and  stored  it  at  Concord,2 
nearly  twenty  miles  away. 

When  the  king's  soldiers  heard  about  this  powder, 
they  made  up  their  minds  to  go  out  and  get  it  for  them 
selves. 

Among  the  watchers  at  Charlestown  was  a  brave 

1  Charles' town.  *  Concord  (pro.  kong'krd). 


The  Midnight  Ride  39 

young  man  named  Paul  Revere.  He  was  ready  to 
serve  his  country  in  any  way  that  he  could. 

One  day  a  friend  of  his  who  lived  in  Boston  came  to 

• 

see  him.  He  came  very  quietly  and  secretly,  to  escape 
the  soldiers. 

"I  have  something  to  tell  you,"  he  said.  "Some  of 
the  king's  soldiers  are  going  to  Concord  to  get  the 
powder  that  is  there.  They  are  getting  ready  to  start 
this  very  night." 

"Indeed!"  said  Paul  Revere.  "They  shall  get  no 
powder,  if  I  can  help  it.  I  will  stir  up  all  the  farmers 
between  here  and  Concord,  and  those  fellows  will  have 
a  hot  time  of  it.  But  you  must  help  me." 

"I  will  do  all  that  I  can,"  said  his  friend. 

"Well,  then,"  said  Paul  Revere,  "you  must  go  back 
to  Boston  and  watch.  Watch,  and  as  soon  as  the  sol 
diers  are  ready  to  start,  hang  a  lantern  in  the  tower  of 
the  old  North  Church.  If  they  are  to  cross  the  river, 
hang  two.  I  will  be  here,  ready.  As  soon  as  I  see  the 
light,  I  will  mount  my  horse  and  ride  out  to  give  the 
alarm." 

And  so  it  was  done. 

When  night  came,  Paul  Revere  was  at  the  riverside 
with  his  horse.  He  looked  over  toward  Boston.  He 


40  Paul  Revere 

knew  where  the  old  North  Church  stood,  but  he  could 
not  see  much  in  the  darkness. 

Hour  after  hour  he  stood  and  watched.  The  town 
seemed  very  still ;  but  now  and  then  he  could  hear  the 
beating  of  a  drum  or  the  shouting  of  some  soldier. 

The  moon  rose,  and  by  its  light  he  could  see  the  dim 
form  of  the  church  tower,  far  away.  He  heard  the  clock 
strike  ten.  He  waited  and  watched. 

The  clock  struck  eleven.  He  was  beginning  to  feel 
tired.  Perhaps  the  soldiers  had  given  up  their  plan. 

He  walked  up  and  down  the  river  bank,  leading  his 
horse  behind  him ;  but  he  kept  his  eyes  turned  always 
toward  the  dim,  dark  spot  which  he  knew  was  the  old 
North  Church. 

All  at  once  a  light  flashed  out  from  the  tower.  "Ah  ! 
there  it  is  !"  he  cried.  The  soldiers  had  started. 

He  spoke  to  his  horse.  He  put  his  foot  in  the  stirrup. 
He  was  ready  to  mount. 

Then  another  light  flashed  clear  and  bright  by  the  side 
of  the  first  one.  The  soldiers  would  cross  the  river. 

Paul  Revere  sprang  into  the  saddle.  Like  a  bird  let 
loose,  his  horse  leaped  forward.  Away  they  went. 

Away  they  went  through  the  village  street  and  out 
upon  the  country  road. 


The  Midnight  Ride  41 

"Up!    up!"    shouted  Paul  Revere.     "The  soldiers 
are  coming  !    Up  !  up  !  and  defend  yourselves  !" 


The  cry  awoke  the  farmers ;  they  sprang  from  their 
beds  and  looked  out.  They  could  not  see  the  speeding 
horse,  but  they  heard  the  clatter  of  its  hoofs  far  down 
the  road,  and  they  understood  the  cry,  "Up  !  up  !  and 
defend  yourselves !" 


42  Paul  Revere 

"It  is  the  alarm !  The  redcoats  are  coming/'  they 
said  to  each  other.  Then  they  took  their  guns,  their 
axes,  anything  they  could  find,  and  hurried  out. 

So,  through  the  night,  Paul  Revere  rode  toward  Con 
cord.  At  every  farmhouse  and  every  village  he  re 
peated  his  call. 

The  alarm  quickly  spread.  Guns  were  fired.  Bells 
were  rung.  The  people  for  miles  around  were  roused 
as  though  a  fire  were  raging. 

The  king's  soldiers  were  surprised  to  find  everybody 
awake  along  the  road.  They  were  angry  because 
their  plans  had  been  discovered. 

When  they  reached  Concord,  they  burned  the  court 
house  there. . 

At  Lexington,  not  far  from  Concord,  there  was  a 
sharp  fight  in  which  several  men  were  killed.  This, 
in  history,  is  called  the  Battle  of  Lexington.  It  was 
the  beginning  of  the  war  called  the  Revolutionary  War. 

But  the  king's  soldiers  did  not  find  the  gunpowder. 
They  were  glad  enough  to  march  back  without  it.  All 
along  the  road  the  farmers  were  waiting  for  them.  It 
seemed  as  if  every  man  in  the  country  was  after  them. 
And  they  did  not  feel  themselves  safe  until  they  were 
once  more  in  Boston. 


The  Boy  and  the  Wolf  43 

THE  BOY  AND  THE  WOLF 

IN  France  there  once  lived  a  famous  man  who  was 
known  as  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette.1  When  he  was  a 
little  boy  his  mother  called  him  Gilbert. 

Gilbert  de  Lafayette's  father  and  grandfather  and 
great-grandfather  had  all  been  brave  and  noble  men. 
He  was  very  proud  to  think  of  this,  and  he  wished  that 
he  might  grow  up  to  be  like  them. 

His  home  was  in  the  country  not  far  from  a  great 
forest.  Often,  when  he  was  a  little  lad,  he  took  long 
walks  among  the  trees  with  his  mother. 

"Mother,"  he  would  say,  "do  not  be  afraid.  I  am 
with  you,  and  I  will  not  let  anything  hurt  you." 

One  day  word  came  that  a  savage  wolf  had  been  seen 
in  the  forest.  Men  said  that  it  was  a  very  large  wolf 
and  that  it  had  killed  some  of  the  farmers'  sheep. 

"How  I  should  like  to  meet  that  wolf,"  said  little 
Gilbert. 

He  was  only  seven  years  old,  but  now  all  his  thoughts 
were  about  the  savage  beast  that  was  in  the  forest. 

"Shall  we  take  a  walk  this  morning?"  asked  his 
mother. 

1  Mar'quis  de  La  fa  yette'. 


44  Marquis  de  Lafayette 

"Oh,  yes!"  said  Gilbert.  "Perhaps  we  may  see 
that  wolf  among  the  trees.  But  don't  be  afraid." 

His  mother  smiled,  for  she  felt  quite  sure  that  there 
was  no  danger. 

They  did  not  go  far  into  the  woods.  The  mother  sat 
down  in  the  shade  of  a  tree  and  began  to  read  in  a  new 
book  which  she  had  bought  the  day  before.  The  boy 
played  on  the  grass  near  by. 

The  sun  was  warm.  The  bees  were  buzzing  among 
the  flowers.  The  small  birds  were  singing  softly.  Gil 
bert  looked  up  from  his  play  and  saw  that  his  mother 
was  very  deeply  interested  in  her  book. 

"Now  for  the  wolf !"  he  said  to  himself. 

He  walked  quickly,  but  very  quietly,  down  the  path 
way  into  the  darker  woods.  He  looked  eagerly  around, 
but  saw  only  a  squirrel  frisking  among  the  trees  and  a 
rabbit  hopping  across  the  road. 

Soon  he  came  to  a  wilder  place.  There  the  bushes 
were  very  close  together  and  the  pathway  came  to  an 
end.  He  pushed  the  bushes  aside  and  went  a  little 
farther.  How  still  everything  was ! 

He  could  see  a  green  open  space  just  beyond ;  and 
then  the  woods  seemed  to  be  thicker  and  darker. 

"This  is  just  the  place  for  that  wolf,"  he  thought. 


The  Boy  and  the  Wolf  45 

Then,  all  at  once,  he  heard  footsteps.  Something 
was  pushing  its  way  through  the  bushes.  It  was  com 
ing  toward  him. 

"It's  the  wolf,  I'm  sure!  It  will  not  see  me  till  it 
comes  very  near.  Then  I  will  jump  out  and  throw  my 
arms  around  its  neck  and  choke  it  to  death." 

The  animal  was  coming  nearer.  He  could  hear  its 
footsteps.  He  could  hear  its  heavy  breathing.  He 
stood  very  still  and  waited. 

"It  will  try  to  bite  me,"  he  thought.  "Perhaps  it 
will  scratch  me  with  its  sharp  claws.  But  I  will  be 
brave.  I  will  not  cry  out.  I  will  choke  it  with  my 
strong  arms.  Then  I  will  drag  it  out  of  the  bushes 
and  call  mamma  to  come  and  see  it." 

The  beast  was  very  close  to  him  now.  He  could  see 
its  shadow  as  he  peeped  out  through  the  clusters  of 
leaves.  His  breath  came  fast.  He  planted  his  feet 
firmly  and  made  ready  to  spring. 

"How  proud  mamma  will  be  of  her  brave  boy!" 

Ah !  there  was  the  wolf  !  He  saw  its  shaggy  head 
and  big  round  eyes.  He  leaped  from  his  hiding  place 
and  clasped  it  round  its  neck. 

It  did  not  try  to  bite  or  scratch.  It  did  not  even 
growl.  But  it  jumped  quickly  forward  and  threw  Gil- 


46 


Marquis  de  Lafayette 


bert  upon  the  ground.     Then  it  ran  out  into  the  open 
space  and  stopped  to  gaze  at  him. 

Gilbert  was  soon  on  his  feet  again.  He  was  not  hurt 
at  all.  He  looked  at  the  beast,  and  —  what  do  you 
think  it  was  ? 


• 


It  was  not  a  wolf.     It 
was  only  a  pet  calf  that  had 
come   there    to    browse   among 
the  bushes. 

The  boy  felt  very  much  ashamed.  He  hurried  back 
to  the  pathway,  and  then  ran  to  his  mother.  Tears 
were  in  his  eyes ;  but  he  tried  to  look  brave. 

"0  Gilbert,  where  have  you  been?"  said  his  mother. 


Another  Wolf  Story  47 

Then  he  told  her  all  that  had  happened.  His  lips 
quivered  and  he  began  to  cry. 

"Never  mind,  my  dear/'  said  his  mother.  "You 
were  very  brave,  and  it  is  lucky  that  the  wolf  was  not 
there.  You  faced  what  you  thought  was  a  great  dan 
ger,  and  you  were  not  afraid.  You  are  my  hero/' 

When  the  American  people  were  fighting  to  free  them 
selves  from  the  rule  of  the  king  of  England,  the  Marquis 
de  Lafayette  helped  them  with  men  and  money.  He 
was  the  friend  of  Washington.  His  name  is.  remem 
bered  in  our  country  as  that  of  a  brave  and  noble 
man. 

ANOTHER  WOLF  STORY 


"WOLF!    Wolf!    Wolf!" 

Three  farmers  were  walking  across  a  field  and  looking 
eagerly  for  tracks  in  the  soft  ground.  One  carried  a 
gun,  one  had  a  pitchfork,  and  the  third  had  an  ax. 

"Wolf!  Wolf!  Wolf!"  they  cried,  as  they  met 
another  farmer  coming  over  the  hill. 

"Where?  where?"  he  asked. 

"We  don't  know,"  was  the  answer,  "  but  we  saw  her 


48  Israel  Putnam 

tracks  down  there  by  the  brook.  It's  the  same  old  wolf 
that  has  been  skulking  around  here  all  winter." 

"She  killed  three  of  my  lambs  last  night/'  said  the 
one  whose  name  was  David  Brown. 

"She's  killed  as  many  as  twenty  since  the  winter 
began,"  said  Thomas  Tanners 

"How  do  you  know  that  it  is  only  one  beast  that  does 
all  this  mischief?"  asked  the  fourth  farmer,  whose 
name  was  Israel  Putnam. 

"Because  the  tracks  are  always  the  same,"  answered 
David  Brown.  "They  show  that  three  toes  have  been 
lost  from  the  left  forefoot." 

"She's  been  caught  in  a  trap  some  time,  I  guess,"  said 
Putnam. 

"Samuel  Stark  saw  her  the  other  morning,"  said 
Tanner.  "He  says  she  was  a  monster;  and  she  was 
running  straight  toward  the  hills  with  a  little  lamb  in 
her  mouth.  They  say  she  has  a  family  of  young  wolves 
up  there ;  and  that  is  why  she  kills  so  many  lambs." 

"Here  are  the  tracks  again,"  said  Putnam. 

They  could  be  seen  very  plainly,  for  here  the  ground 
was  quite  muddy.  The  four  men  followed  them  for 
some  distance,  and  then  lost  them  on  the  hillside. 

"Let  us  call  the  neighbors  together  and  have  a  grand 


Another  Wolf  Story  49 

wolf  hunt  to-morrow,"  said  Putnam.     "We  must  put 
an  end  to  this  killing  of  lambs." 

All  the  other  men  agreed  to  this,  and  they  parted. 

II 

The  next  day  twenty  men  and  boys  came  together 
for  the  grand  wolf  hunt.  They  tracked  the  beast  to  the 
mouth  of  a  cave,  far  up  on  the  hills. 

They  shouted  and  threw  stones  into  the  cave.  But 
the  wolf  was  too  wise  to  show  herself.  She  lay  hidden 
among  some  rocks,  and  nothing  could  make  her  stir. 

"I  will  fetch  her  out,"  said  Israel  Putnam. 

The  opening  to  the  cave  was  only  a  narrow  hole  be 
tween  two  rocks.  Putnam  stooped  down  and  looked  in. 
It  was  very  dark  there,  and  he  could  not  see  anything. 

Then  he  tied  a  rope  around  his  waist  and  said  to  his 
friends,  "Take  hold  of  the  other  end,  boys.  When  I 
jerk  it,  then  pull  me  out  as  quickly  as  you  can." 

He  got  down  on  his  hands  and  knees  and  crawled 
into  the  cave.  He  crawled  very  slowly  and  carefully. 

At  last  he  saw  something  in  the  darkness  that  looked 
like  two  balls  of  fire.  He  knew  that  these  were  the  eyes 
of  the  wolf.  The  wolf  gave  a  low  growl  and  made  ready 
to  meet  him. 

FIFTY    FAMOUS    PEOPLE 4 


50  Israel  Putnam 

Putnam  gave  the  rope  a  quick  jerk  and  his  friends 
pulled  him  out  in  great  haste.  They  feared  that  the 
wolf  was  upon  him;  but  he  wished  only  to  get  his 
gun. 

Soon,  with  the  gun  in  one  hand,  he  crept  back  into 
the  cave.  The  wolf  saw  him.  She  growled  so  loudly 
that  the  men  and  boys  outside  were  frightened. 

But  Putnam  was  not  afraid.  He  raised  his  gun  and 
fired  at  the  great  beast. 

When  his  friends  heard  the  gun  they  pulled  the  rope 
quickly  and  drew  him  out.  It  was  no  fun  to  be  pulled 
over  the  sharp  stones  in  that  way ;  but  it  was  better 
than  to  be  bitten  by  the  wolf. 

Putnam  loaded  his  gun  again.  Then  he  listened. 
There  was  not  a  sound  inside  of  the  cave.  Perhaps  the 
wolf  was  waiting  to  spring  upon  him. 

He  crept  into  the  cave  for  the  third  time.  There 
were  no  balls  of  fire  to  be  seen  now.  No  angry  growl 
was  heard.  The  wolf  was  dead. 

Putnam  stayed  in  the  cave  so  long  that  his  friends 
began  to  be  alarmed.  After  a  while,  however,  he  gave 
the  rope  a  quick  jerk.  Men  and  boys  pulled  with  all 
their  might ;  and  Putnam  and  the  wolf  were  drawn  out 
together. 


The  Horseshoe  Nails  51 

This  happened  when  Israel  Putnam  was  a  young  man. 
When  the  Revolutionary  War  began  he  was  one  of  the 
first  to  hurry  to  Boston  to  help  the  people  defend  them 
selves  against  the  British  soldiers.  He  became  famous 
as  one  of  the  bravest  and  best  of  the  generals  who 
fought  to  make  our  country  free. 

THE  HORSESHOE  NAILS 
I 

A  BLACKSMITH  was  shoeing  a  horse. 

"Shoe  him  quickly,  for  the  king  wishes  to  ride  him 
to  battle,"  said  the  groom  who  had  brought  him. 

"Do  you  think  there  will  be  a  battle?"  asked  the 
blacksmith. 

"Most  certainly,  and  very  soon,  too,"  answered  the 
man.  "The  king's  enemies  are  even  now  advancing, 
and  all  are  ready  for  the  fight.  To-day  will  decide 
whether  Richard  or  Henry  shall  be  king  of  England." 

The  smith  went  on  with  his  work.  From  a  bar  of  iron 
he  made  four  horseshoes.  These  he  hammered  and 
shaped  and  fitted  to  the  horse's  feet.  Then  he  began  to 
nail  them  on. 

But  after  he  had  nailed  on  two  shoes,  he  found  that 
he  had  not  nails  enough  for  the  other  two. 


52  Richard  the  Third 

"I  have  only  six  nails,"  he  said,  "and  it  will  take  a 
little  time  to  hammer  out  ten  more." 

"Oh,  well,"  said  the  groom,  "won't  six  nails  do? 
Put  three  in  each  shoe.  I  hear  the  trumpets  now. 
King  Richard  will  be  impatient." 

"Three  nails  in  each  shoe  will  hold  them  on,"  said 
the  smith.  "Yes,  I  think  we  may  risk  it." 

So  he  quickly  finished  the  shoeing,  and  the  groom 
hurried  to  lead  the  horse  to  the  king. 

II 

The  battle  had  been  raging  for  some  time.  King 
Richard  rode  hither  and  thither,  cheering  his  men  and 
fighting  his  foes.  His  enemy,  Henry,  who  wished  to 
be  king,  was  pressing  him  hard. 

Far  away,  at  the  other  side  of  the  field,  King  Richard 
saw  his  men  falling  back.  Without  his  help  they  would 
soon  be  beaten.  So  he  spurred  his  horse  to  ride  to  their 
aid. 

He  was  hardly  halfway  across  the  stony  field  when  one 
of  the  horse's  shoes  flew  off.  The  horse  was  lamed  on  a 
rock.  Then  another  shoe  came  off.  The  horse  stumbled , 
and  his  rider  was  thrown  heavily  to  the  ground. 

Before  the  king  could  rise,  his  frightened  horse,  al- 


The  Horseshoe  Nails 


53 


though  lame,  had  galloped  away.  The  king  looked, 
and  saw  that  his  soldiers  were  beaten,  and  that  the 
battle  was  everywhere  going  against  him. 


54  Thomas  Jefferson 

He  waved  his  sword  in  the  air.  He  shouted,  "A 
horse !  A  horse !  My  kingdom  for  a  horse." 

But  there  was  no  horse  for  him.  His  soldiers  were 
intent  on  saving  themselves.  They  could  not  give  him 
any  help. 

The  battle  was  lost.  King  Richard  was  lost.  Henry 
became  king  of  England. 

"  For  the  want  of  a  nail  the  shoe  was  lost ; 
For  the  want  of  a  shoe  the  horse  was  lost ; 
For  the  want  of  a  horse  the  battle  was  lost ; 
For  the  failure  of  battle  the  kingdom  was  lost ;  — 
And  all  for  the  want  of  a  horseshoe  nail.'* 

Richard  the  Third  was  one  of  England's  worst  kings. 
Henry,  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  made  war  upon  him 
and  defeated  him  in  a  great  battle. 


THE  LANDLORD'S  MISTAKE 

WHEN  John  Adams  was  president  and  Thomas  Jeffer 
son  was  vice  president  of  the  United  States,  there  was 
not  a  railroad  in  all  the  world. 

People  did  not  travel  very  much.  There  were  no 
broad,  smooth  highways  as  there  are  now.  The  roads 
were  crooked  and  muddy  and  rough. 


The  Landlord's  Mistake          55 

If  a  man  was  obliged  to  go  from  one  city  to  another, 
he  often  rode  on  horseback.  Instead  of  a  trunk  for  his 
clothing,  he  carried  a  pair  of  saddlebags.  Instead  of 
sitting  at  his  ease  in  a  parlor  car,  he  went  jolting  along 
through  mud  and  mire,  exposed  to  wind  and  weather. 

One  day  some  men  were  sitting  by  the  door  of  a  hotel 
in  Baltimore.  As  they  looked  down  the  street  they 
saw  a  horseman  coming.  He  was  riding  very  slowly, 
and  both  he  and  his  horse  were  bespattered  with  mud. 

"There  comes  old  Farmer  Mossback,"  said  one  of 
the  men,  laughing.  "He's  just  in  from  the  back 
woods." 

"He  seems  to  have  had  a  hard  time  of  it,"  said 
another ;  "I  wonder  where  he'll  put  up  for  the  night." 

"Oh,  any  kind  of  a  place  will  suit  him,"  answered 
the  landlord.  "He's  one  of  those  country  fellows  who 
can  sleep  in  the  haymow  and  eat  with  the  horses." 

The  traveler  was  soon  at  the  door.  He  was  dressed 
plainly,  and,  with  his  reddish-brown  hair  and  mud- 
bespattered  face,  looked  like  a  hard-working  country 
man  just  in  from  the  backwoods. 

"Have  you  a  room  here  for  me ?"  he  asked  the  land 
lord. 

Now  the  landlord  prided  himself  upon  keeping  a 


56  Thomas  Jefferson 

first-class  hotel,  and  he  feared  that  his  guests  would  not 
like  the  rough-looking  traveler.  So  he  answered :  "No, 
sir.  Every  room  is  full.  The  only  place  I  could  put 
you  would  be  in  the  barn." 

"Well,  then/'  answered  the  stranger,  "I  will  see 
what  they  can  do  for  me  at  the  Planters'  Tavern,  round 
the  corner;"  and  he  rode  away. 

About  an  hour  later,  a  well-dressed  gentleman  came 
into  the  hotel  and  said,  "I  wish  to  see  Mr.  Jefferson." 

"Mr.  Jefferson  !  "  said  the  landlord. 

"Yes,  sir.  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  vice  president  of 
the  United  States." 

"He  isn't  here." 

"Oh,  but  he  must  be.  I  met  him  as  he  rode  into 
town,  and  he  said  that  he  intended  to  stop  at  this  hotel. 
He  has  been  here  about  an  hour." 

"No,  he  hasn't.  The  only  man  that  has  been  here 
for  lodging  to-day  was  an  old  clodhopper  who  was  so 
spattered  with  mud  that  you  couldn't  see  the  color  of 
his  coat.  I  sent  him  round  to  the  Planters'." 

"  Did  he  have  reddish-brown  hair,  and  did  he  ride  a 
gray  horse?" 

"Yes,  and  he  was  quite  tall." 

"That  was  Mr.  Jefferson,"  said  the  gentleman. 


A  Lesson  in  Manners  57 

"Mr.  Jefferson!"  cried  the  landlord.  "Was  that 
the  vice  president  ?  Here,  Dick !  build  a  fire  in  the 
best  room.  Put  everything  in  tiptop  order,  Sally. 
What  a  dunce  I  was  to  turn  Mr.  Jefferson  away !  He 
shall  have  all  the  rooms  in  the  house,  and  the  ladies' 
parlor,  too.  I'll  go  right  round  to  the  Planters'  and 
fetch  him  back." 

So  he  went  to  the  other  hotel,  where  he  found  the 
vice  president  sitting  with  some  friends  in  the  parlor. 

"Mr.  Jefferson,"  he  said,  "I  have  come  to  ask  your 

pardon.    You  were  so  bespattered  with  mud  that  I 

thought  you  were  some  old  farmer.     If  you'll  come 

back  to  my  house,  you  shall  have  the  best  room  in  it 

-  yes,  all  the  rooms  if  you  wish.    Won't  you  come?" 

"No,"  answered  Mr.  Jefferson.  "A  farmer  is  as 
good  as  any  other  man ;  and  where  there's  no  room 
for  a  farmer,  there  can  be  no  room  for  me." 


A  LESSON  IN  MANNERS 
ONE  morning  there  was  a  loud  knock  at  Dean  Swift's 
door.     The  servant  opened  it.    A  man  who  was  out 
side  handed  her  a  fine  duck  that  had  lately  been  killed, 
and  said, — 


58  Jonathan  Swift 

"Here's  a  present  for  the  Dean.  It's  from  Mr. 
Boyle." 

Then,  without  another  word,  he  turned  and  walked 
away. 

A  few  days  afterward  the  man  came  again.  This 
time  he  brought  a  partridge.  "Here's  another  bird 
from  Mr.  Boyle." 

Now,  Mr.  Boyle  was  a  sporting  neighbor  who  spent 
a  good  deal  of  time  in  shooting.  He  was  a  great  ad 
mirer  of  Dean  Swift,  and  took  pleasure  in  sending  him 
presents  of  game. 

The  third  time,  the  man  brought  a  quail.  "Here's 
something  else  for  the  Dean,"  he  said  roughly,  and 
tossed  it  into  the  servant's  arms. 

The  servant  complained  to  her  master.  "That  fel 
low  has  no  manners,"  she  said. 

"The  next  time  he  comes,"  said  the  Dean,  "let  me 
know,  and  I  will  go  to  the  door." 

It  was  not  long  until  the  man  came  with  another 
present.  The  Dean  went  to  the  door. 

"Here's  a  rabbit  from  Mr.  Boyle,"  said  the  man. 

"See  here,"  said  the  Dean  in  a  stern  voice,  "that  is 
not  the  way  to  deliver  a  message  here.  Just  step  inside 
and  make  believe  that  you  are  Dean  Swift.  I  will  go 


A  Lesson  in  Manners 


59 


out  and  make  believe  that  I  am  bringing  him  a  present. 
I  will  show  you  how  a  messenger  ought  to  behave." 
"I'll  agree  to  that/'  said  the  man;  and  he  stepped 
inside.  The  Dean  took  the  rabbit 
and  went  out  of 
the  house.  He 
walked  up  the 


street  to  the  next  block.     Then  he  came  back  and 
knocked  gently  at  the  door. 

The  door  was  opened  by  the  man  from  Mr.  Boyle's. 
The  Dean  bowed  gracefully  and  said,  "  If  you  please,  sir, 


60  George  Washington 

Mr.  Boyle's  compliments,  and  he  wishes  you  to  accept 
of  this  fine  rabbit." 

"Oh,  thank  you/'  said  the  man  very  politely.  Then, 
taking  out  his  purse,  he  offered  the  Dean  a  shilling. 
"And  here  is  something  for  your  trouble." 

The  lesson  in  manners  was  not  forgotten ;  for,  always 
after  that,  the  man  was  very  polite  when  he  brought 
his  presents.  And  the  Dean  also  took  the  hint ;  for  he 
always  remembered  to  give  the  man  a  "tip"  for  his 
trouble. 

Jonathan  Swift,  often  called  Dean  Swift,  was  famous 
as  a  writer  on  many  subjects.  Among  other  books  he 
wrote  "Gulliver's  Travels,"  which  you,  perhaps,  will 
read  some  time. 


GOING  TO  SEA 

"I  SHOULD  like  to  be  a  sailor,"  said  George  Washing 
ton.  "Then  I  could  go  to  many  strange  lands  and  see 
many  wonderful  things.  And,  by  and  by,  I  might  be 
come  the  captain  of  a  ship." 

He  was  only  fourteen  years  old. 

His  older  brothers  were  quite  willing  that  he  should  go 
to  sea.  They  said  that  a  bright  boy  like  George  would 


Going  to  Sea  61 

not  long  be  a  common  sailor.  He  would  soon  become 
a  captain  and  then  perhaps  a  great  admiral. 

And  so  the  matter  was  at  last  settled.  George's 
brothers  knew  the  master  of  a  trading  ship  who  was 
getting  ready  to  sail  to  England.  He  agreed  to  take  the 
boy  with  him  and  teach  him  how  to  be  a  good  sailor. 

George's  mother  was  very  sad.  His  uncle  had 
written  her  a  letter  saying :  "Do  not  let  him  go  to  sea. 
If  he  begins  as  a  common  sailor,  he  will  never  be  any 
thing  else." 

But  George  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go.  He  was 
headstrong  and  determined.  He  would  riot  listen  to 
any  one  who  tried  to  persuade  him  to  stay  at  home. 

At  last  the  day  came  for  the  ship  to  sail.  It  was 
waiting  in  the  river.  A  boat  was  at  the  landing,  ready 
to  take  him  on  board.  The  little  chest  that  held  his 
clothing  had  been  carried  down  to  the  bank.  George 
was  in  high  glee  at  the  thought  of  going. 

"Good-by,  mother/'  he  said. 

He  stood  on  the  doorstep  and  looked  back  into  the 
house.  He  saw  the  kind  faces  of  those  whom  he  loved. 
He  began  to  feel  very  sad. 

"Good-by,  my  dear  boy  !" 

George  saw  the  tears  in  his  mother's  eyes.    He  saw 


62  Giotto  Bondone 

them  rolling  down  her  cheeks.  He  knew  that  she  did 
not  wish  him  to  go.  He  could  not  bear  to  see  her  grief. 

He  stood  still  for  a  moment,  thinking.  Then  he 
turned  quickly  and  said,  "Mother,  I  have  changed  my 
mind.  I  will  stay  at  home  and  do  as  you  wish." 

Then  he  called  to  the  black  boy,  who  was  waiting  at 
the  door,  and  said,  "Tom,  run  down  to  the  shore  and 
tell  them  not  to  put  the  chest  in  the  boat.  Send  word 
to  the  captain  not  to  wait  for  me,  for  I  have  changed 
my  mind.  I  am  not  going  to  sea." 

Who  has  not  heard  of  George  Washington  ?  It  has 
been  said  of  him  that  he  was  the  "first  in  war,  the  first 
in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen."  He 
was  our  most  famous  president.  He  has  been  called 
the  Father  of  his  Country. 


THE    SHEPHERD-BOY    PAINTER 

ONE  day  a  traveler  was  walking  through  a  part  of 
Italy  where  a  great  many  sheep  were  pasturing. 
Near  the  top  of  a  hill  he  saw  a  little  shepherd  boy 
who  was  lying  on  the  ground  while  a  flock  of  sheep  and 
lambs  were  grazing  around  him. 


The  Shepherd-boy  Painter         63 

As  he  came  nearer  he  saw  that  the  boy  held  a  charred 
stick  in  his  hand,  with  which  he  was  drawing  something 


on  a  flat  rock.    The  lad  was  so  much  interested  in  his 
work  that  he  did  not  see  the  stranger. 

The  stranger  bent  over  him  and  looked  at  the  picture 
he  had  made  on  the  rock.    It  was  the  picture  of  a  sheep, 


64  Giotto  Bondone 

and  it  was  drawn  so  well  that  the  stranger  was  filled  with 
astonishment. 

"What  is  your  name,  my  boy?"  he  said. 

The  lad  was  startled.  He  jumped  to  his  feet  and 
looked  up  at  the  kind  gentleman. 

"My  name  is  Giotto,1  "  he  answered. 

"What  is  your  father's  name?" 

"Bondone."  2 

"And  whose  sheep  are  these?" 

"They  belong  to  the  rich  man  who  lives  in  the  big 
white  house  there  among  the  trees.  My  father  works 
in  the  field,  and  I  take  care  of  the  sheep." 

"How  would  you  like  to  live  with  me,  Giotto?  I 
would  teach  you  how  to  draw  pictures  of  sheep  and 
horses,  and  even  of  men,"  said  the  stranger. 

The  boy's  face  beamed  with  delight.  "  I  should  like 
to  learn  to  do  that  —  oh,  ever  so  much  !"  he  answered. 
"But  I  must  do  as  father  says." 

"Let  us  go  and  ask  him,"  said  the  stranger. 

The  stranger's  name  was  Cimabue.3  He  was  the 
most  famous  painter  of  the  time.  His  pictures  were 
known  and  admired  in  every  city  of  Italy. 

1  Giotto  (pro.  jot'to).  2  Bon  do'na. 

1  Cimabue  (pro.  che  ma  boo 'a). 


The  Shepherd-boy  Painter         65 

Bond  one  was  surprised  when  Cimabue  offered  to  take 
his  little  boy  to  Florence  and  teach  him  to  be  a  great 
painter. 

"  I  know  that  the  lad  can  draw  pictures  wonderfully 
well,"  he  said.  "He  does  not  like  to  do  anything  else. 
Perhaps  he  will  do  well  with  you.  Yes,  you  may  take 
him." 

In  the  city  of  Florence  1  little  Giotto  saw  some  of  the 
finest  pictures  in  the  world.  He  learned  so  fast  that  he 
could  soon  paint  as  well  as  Cimabue  himself. 

One  day  Cimabue  was  painting  the  picture  of  a  man's 
face.  Night  came  on  before  he  had  finished  it.  "I 
will  leave  it  till  morning,"  he  said ;  "then  the  light  will 
be  better." 

In  the  morning,  when  he  looked  at  the  picture,  he 
saw  a  fly  on  the  man's  nose.  He  tried  to  brush  it  off, 
but  it  remained  there.  It  was  only  a  painted  fly. 

"Who  has  done  this?"  he  cried.  He  was  angry, 
and  yet  he  was  pleased. 

Little  Giotto  came  out  from  a  corner,  trembling  and 
ashamed.  "  I  did  it,  master,"  he  said.  "  It  was  a  good 
place  for  a  fly,  and  I  never  thought  of  spoiling  your 
picture." 

1  Flor'ence. 

FIFTY    FAMOUS    PEOPLE 5 


66  Zeuxis  and  Parrhasius 

He  expected  to  be  punished.  But  Cimabue  only 
praised  him  for  his  great  skill.  "There  are  few  men 
who  can  draw  so  good  a  picture  of  a  fly/'  he  said. 

This  happened  six  hundred  years  ago,  in  the  city  of 
Florence  in  Italy.  The  shepherd  boy  became  a  very 
famous  painter  and  the  friend  of  many  famous  men. 


TWO  GREAT  PAINTERS 

THERE  was  once  a  painter  whose  name  was  Zeuxis.1 
He  could  paint  pictures  so  life-like  that  they  were 
mistaken  for  the  real  things  which  they  represented. 

At  one  time  he  painted  the  picture  of  some  fruit  which 
was  so  real  that  the  birds  flew  down  and  pecked  at  it. 
This  made  him  very  proud  of  his  skill. 

"I  am  the  only  man  in  the  world  who  can  paint  a 
picture  so  true  to  life/'  he  said. 

There  was  another  famous  artist  whose  name  was 
Parrhasius.2  When  he  heard  of  the  boast  which  Zeuxis 
had  made,  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  will  see  what  I  can  do." 

So  he  painted  a  beautiful  picture  which  seemed  to  be 
covered  with  a  curtain.  Then  he  invited  Zeuxis  to 
come  and  see  it. 

1  Zeuxis  (pro.  zuke'sis).  2  Parrhasius  (pro.  pa  ra'shl  us). 


The  King  and  the  Bees          67 

Zeuxis  looked  at  it  closely.  "Draw  the  curtain 
aside  and  show  us  the  picture/'  he  said. 

Parrhasius  laughed  and  answered,  "The  curtain  is 
the  picture." 

"Well,"  said  Zeuxis,  "you  have  beaten  me  this  time, 
and  I  shall  boast  no  more.  I  deceived  only  the  birds, 
but  you  have  deceived  me,  a  painter." 

Some  time  after  this,  Zeuxis  painted  another  wonder 
ful  picture.  It  was  that  of  a  boy  carrying  a  basket  of 
ripe  red  cherries.  When  he  hung  this  painting  outside 
of  his  door,  some  birds  flew  down  and  tried  to  carry  the 
cherries  away. 

"Ah  !  this  picture  is  a  failure,"  he  said.  "For  if  the 
boy  had  been  as  well  painted  as  the  cherries,  the  birds 
would  have  been  afraid  to  come  near  him." 


THE  KING  AND  THE  BEES 

ONE  day  King  Solomon  was  sitting  on  his  throne, 
and  his  great  men  were  standing  around  him. 

Suddenly  the  door  was  thrown  open  and  the  Queen 
of  Sheba  came  in. 

"0  King,"  she  said,  "in  my  own  country,  far,  far 
away,  I  have  heard  much  about  your  power  and  glory, 


68  King  Solomon 

but  much  more  about  your  wisdom.  Men  have  told 
me  that  there  is  no  riddle  so  cunning  that  you  can  not 
solve  it.  Is  this  true  ?  " 


"It  is  as  you  say,  0  Queen,"  answered  Solomon. 
"Well,  I  have  here  a  puzzle  which  I  think  will  test 
your  wisdom.    Shall  I  show  it  to  you?" 


The  King  and  the  Bees         69 

"Most  certainly,  0  Queen." 

Then  she  held  up  in  each  hand  a  beautiful  wreath  of 
flowers.  The  wreaths  were  so  nearly  alike  that  none  of 
those  who  were  with  the  king  could  point  out  any 
difference. 

"One  of  these  wreaths,"  said  the  queen,  "is  made  of 
flowers  plucked  from  your  garden.  The  other  is  made 
of  artificial  flowers,  shaped  and  colored  by  a  skillful 
artist.  Now,  tell  me,  0  King,  which  is  the  true,  and 
which  is  the  false?" 

The  king,  for  once,  was  puzzled.  He  stroked  his 
chin.  He  looked  at  the  wreaths  from  every  side.  He 
frowned.  He  bit  his  lips. 

"Which  is  the  true  ?"  the  queen  again  asked. 

Still  the  king  did  not  answer. 

"I  have  heard  that  you  are  the  wisest  man  in  the 
world,"  she  said,  "and  surely  this  simple  thing  ought  not 
to  puzzle  you." 

The  king  moved  uneasily  on  his  golden  throne.  His 
officers  and  great  men  shook  their  heads.  Some  would 
have  smiled,  if  they  had  dared. 

"Look  at  the  flowers  carefully,"  said  the  queen, 
"  and  let  us  have  your  answer." 

Then  the  king  remembered  something.    He  remem- 


70  King  Solomon 

bered  that  close  by  his  window  there  was  a  climbing 
vine  filled  with  beautiful  sweet  flowers.  He  remem 
bered  that  he  had  seen  many  bees  flying  among  these 
flowers  and  gathering  honey  from  them. 

So  he  said,  "Open  the  window  !" 

It  was  opened.  The  queen  was  standing  quite  near 
to  it  with  the  two  .wreaths  still  in  her  hands.  All  eyes 
were  turned  to  see  why  the  king  had  said,  "Open  the 
window." 

The  next  moment  two  bees  flew  eagerly  in.  Then 
came  another  and  another.  All  flew  to  the  flowers  in 
the  queen's  right  hand.  Not  one  of  the  bees  so  much 
as  looked  at  those  in  her  left  hand. 

"0  Queen  of  Sheba,  the  bees  have  given  you  my 
answer,"  then  said  Solomon. 

And  the  queen  said,  "You  are  wise,  King  Solomon. 
You  gather  knowledge  from  the  little  things  which 
common  men  pass  by  unnoticed." 

King  Solomon  lived  three  thousand  years  ago.  Re 
built  a  great  temple  in  Jerusalem,  and  was  famous  for 
his  wisdom. 


Our  First  Great  Painter          71 

OUR  FIRST  GREAT  PAINTER 

A  LONG  time  ago  there  lived,  in  Pennsylvania,  a  little 
boy  whose  name  was  Benjamin  West. 

This  boy  loved  pictures.  Indeed,  there  were  few 
things  that  he  loved  more.  But  he  had  never  seen  any 
pictures  except  a  few  small  ones  in  a  book. 

His  father  and  mother  were  Quakers,  and  they  did 
not  think  it  was  right  to  spend  money  for  such  things. 
They  thought  that  pictures  might  take  one's  mind 
away  from  things  that  were  better  or  more  useful. 

One  day  Benjamin's  mother  had  to  go  to  a  neighbor's 
on  some  errand.  So  she  told  Benjamin  to  stay  in  the 
house  and  take  care  of  his  baby  sister  till  she  came  back. 

He  was  glad  to  do  this ;  for  he  loved  the  baby. 

"Yes,  mother,"  he  said,  "I  will  watch  her  every  min 
ute.  I  won't  let  anything  hurt  her." 

The  baby  was  asleep  in  her  cradle,  and  he  must  not 
make  a  noise  and  waken  her.  For  some  time  he  sat 
very  still.  He  heard  the  clock  ticking.  He  heard  the 
birds  singing.  He  began  to  feel  a  little  lonesome. 

A  fly  lighted  on  the  baby's  cheek,  and  he  brushed  it 
away.  Then  he  thought  what  a  pretty  picture  might 
be  made  of  his  sister's  sweet  face  and  little  hands. 


72 


Benjamin  West 


He  had  no  paper,  but  he  knew  where  there  was  a 
smooth  board.     He  had  no  pencil,  but  there  was  a 


piece  of  black  charcoal  on  the  hearth.  How  pretty 
the  baby  was !  He  began  to  draw.  The  baby  smiled 
but  did  not  wake  up. 


Our  First  Great  Painter          73 

As  often  as  he  touched  the  charcoal  to  the  smooth 
board,  the  picture  grew.  Here  was  her  round  head, 
covered  with  pretty  curls.  Here  was  her  mouth. 
Here  were  her  eyes,  and  here  her  dainty  ears.  Here 
was  her  fat  little  neck.  Here  were  her  wonderful 
hands. 

So  busy  was  he  with  the  drawing  that  he  did  not  think 
of  anything  else.  He  heard  neither  the  clock  nor  the 
birds.  He  did  not  even  hear  his  mother's  footsteps  as 
she  came  into  the  room.  He  did  not  hear  her  soft 
breathing  as  she  stood  over  him  and  watched  him  finish 
the  wonderful  drawing. 

"  0  Benjamin  !  what  has  thee  been  doing  ?  "  she  cried. 

The  lad  sprang  up,  alarmed. 

"It's  only  a  picture  of  the  baby,  mother,"  he  said. 

"A  picture  of  the  baby  !  Oh,  wonderful !  It  looks 
just  like  her!" 

The  good  woman  was  so  overjoyed  that  she  caught 
him  in  her  arms  and  kissed  him.  Then  suddenly  she 
began  to  wonder  whether  this  was  right. 

"Benjamin,  how  did  thee  learn  to  draw  such  a  pic 
ture?"  she  asked. 

"I  didn't  learn,"  he  answered.  "I  just  did  it.  I 
couldn't  help  but  do  it." 


74  Benjamin  West 

When  Benjamin's  father  came  home,  his  mother 
showed  him  the  picture. 

"  It  looks  just  like  her,  doesn't  it  ?  "  she  said.  "  But 
I  am  afraid.  I  don't  know  what  to  think.  Does  thee 
suppose  that  it  is  very  wrong  for  Benjamin  to  do  such 
a  thing  ?" 

The  father  did  not  answer.  He  turned  the  picture 
this  way  and  that,  and  looked  at  it  from  every  side. 
He  compared  it  with  the  baby's  pretty  face.  Then  he 
handed  it  back  to  his  wife  and  said  :- 

"Put  it  away.  It  may  be  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
is  in  this." 

Several  weeks  afterward,  there  came  a  visitor  to  the 
home  of  the  Wests.  It  was  a  good  old  Friend,  whom 
everybody  loved  —  a  white-haired,  pleasant-faced  min 
ister,  whose  words  were  always  wise. 

Benjamin's  parents  showed  him  the  picture.  They 
told  him  how  the  lad  was  always  trying  to  draw  some 
thing.  And  they  asked  what  they  should  do  about  it. 

The  good  minister  looked  at  the  picture  for  a  long 
time.  Then  he  called  little  Benjamin  to  him.  He  put 
his  hands  on  the  lad's  head  and  said  :  - 

"This  child  has  a  wonderful  gift.  We  cannot  under 
stand  it  nor  the  reason  of  it.  Let  us  trust  that  great 


The  Young  Scout  75 

good  may  come  from  it,  and  that  Benjamin  West  may 
grow,  up  to  be  an  honor  to  our  country  and  the  world." 

And  the  words  of  the  old  minister  came  true.  The 
pictures  of  Benjamin  West  made  him  famous.  He  was 
the  first  great  American  painter. 


THE  YOUNG  SCOUT 

WHEN  Andrew  Jackson  was  a  little  boy  he  lived  with 
his  mother  in  South  Carolina.  He  was  eight  years  old 
when  he  heard  about  the  ride  of  Paul  Revere  and  the 
famous  fight  at  Lexington. 

It  was  then  that  the  long  war,  called  the  Revolu 
tionary  War,  began.  The  king's  soldiers  were  sent  into 
every  part  of  the  country.  The  people  called  them  the 
British.  Some  called  them  "  red-coats." 

There  was  much  fighting ;  and  several  great  battles 
took  place  between  the  British  and  the  Americans. 

At  last  Charleston,  in  South  Carolina,  was  taken  by 
the  British.  Andrew  Jackson  was  then  a  tall  white- 
haired  boy,  thirteen  years  old. 

"I  am  going  to  help  drive  those  red-coated  British 
out  of  the  country,"  he  said  to  his  mother. 

Then,  without  another  word,  he  mounted  his  brother's 


76  Andrew  Jackson 

little  farm  horse  and  rode  away.  He  was  not  old 
enough  to  be  a  soldier,  but  he  could  be  a  scout  —  and 
a  good  scout  he  was. 

He  was  very  tall  —  as  tall  as  a  man.  He  was  not 
afraid  of  anything.  He  was  strong  and  ready  for  every 
duty. 

One  day  as  he  was  riding  through  the  woods,  some 
British  soldiers  saw  him.  They  quickly  surrounded 
him  and  made  him  their  prisoner. 

"Come  with  us/'  they  said,  "and  we  will  teach  you 
that  the  king's  soldiers  are  not  to  be  trifled  with." 

They  took  him  to  the  British  camp. 

"What  is  your  name,  young  rebel  ?"  said  the  British 
captain. 

"Andy  Jackson." 

"Well,  Andy  Jackson,  get  down  here  and  clean  the 
mud  from  my  boots." 

Andrew's  gray  eyes  blazed  as  he  stood  up  straight 
and  proud  before  the  haughty  captain. 

"Sir,"  he  said,  "I  am  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  demand 
to  be  treated  as  such." 

"You  rebel!"  shouted  the  captain.  "Down  with 
you,  and  clean  those  boots  at  once." 

The  slim,  tall  boy  seemed  to  grow  taller,   as  he 


The  Young  Scout 


77 


answered,  "  I'll  not  be  the  servant  of  any  Englishman 
that  ever  lived." 


The  captain  was  very  angry.  He  drew  his  sword 
to  hit  the  boy  with  its  flat  side.  Andrew  threw  out  his 
hand  and  received  an  ugly  gash  across  the  knuckles. 


78  Daniel  Webster 

Some  other  officers,  who  had  seen  the  whole  affair, 
cried  out  to  the  captain,  "Shame  !  He  is  a  brave  boy. 
He  deserves  to  be  treated  as  a  gentleman." 

Andrew  was  not  held  long  as  a  prisoner.  The  British 
soldiers  soon  returned  to  Charleston,  and  he  was  al 
lowed  to  go  home. 

In  time,  Andrew  Jackson  became  a  very  great  man. 
He  was  elected  to  Congress,  he  was  chosen  judge  of  the 
supreme  court  of  Tennessee,  he  was  appointed  general 
in  the  army,  and  lastly  he  was  for  eight  years  the  presi 
dent  of  the  United  States. 


THE  LAD  WHO   RODE  SIDESADDLE 

WHEN  Daniel  Webster  was  a  child  he  lived  in  the 
country,  far  from  any  city.  He  was  not  strong  enough 
to  work  on  the  farm  like  his  brothers;  but  he  loved 
books  and  study. 

He  was  very  young  when  he  was  first  sent  to  school. 
The  schoolhouse  was  two  or  three  miles  from  home,  but 
he  did  not  mind  the  long  walk  through  the  woods  and 
over  the  hills. 

He  soon  learned  all  that  his  teacher  could  teach ;  for 
he  was  bright  and  quick,  and  had  a  good  memory. 


The  Lad  Who  Rode  Sidesaddle     79 

His  father  hoped  that  Daniel  would  grow  up  to  be  a 
wise  and  famous  man.  "But,"  said  he,  "no  man  can 
rightly  succeed  without  an  education/' 

So  it  was  decided  that  the  boy  should  go  to  some 
school  where  he  might  be  prepared  for  college. 

One  evening  his  father  said  to  him,  "Daniel,  you 
must  be  up  early  in  the  morning.  You  are  going  to 
Exeter  with  me." 

"To  Exeter,  father !"  said  Daniel. 

"  Yes,  to  Exeter.  I  am  going  to  put  you  in  the  acad 
emy  there." 

The  academy  at  Exeter  was  a  famous  school  for  pre 
paring  boys  for  college.  It  is  still  a  famous  school. 
But  Daniel's  father  did  not  say  anything  about  college. 

There  were  no  railroads  at  that  time,  and  Exeter  was 
nearly  fifty  miles  away.  Daniel  and  his  father  would 
ride  there  on  horseback. 

Early  in  the  morning  two  horses  were  brought  to  the 
door.  One  was  Mr.  Webster's  horse ;  the  other  was 
an  old  gray  nag  with  a  lady's  sidesaddle  on  its  back. 

"Who  is  going  to  ride  that  nag?"  asked  Daniel. 

"Young  Dan  Webster,"  answered  his  father. 

"But  I  don't  want  a  sidesaddle.     I'm  not  a  lady." 

"  I  understand,"  said  Mr.  Webster.     "  But  our  neigh- 


80  Daniel  Webster 

bor,  Johnson,  is  sending  the  nag  to  Exeter  for  the  use 
of  a  lady  who  is  to  ride  back  with  me.  He  does  me  a 
favor  by  allowing  you  to  ride  on  the  animal,  and  I  do 
him  a  favor  by  taking  care  of  it." 

"But  won't  it  look  rather  funny  for  me  to  ride  to 
Exeter  on  a  sidesaddle?" 

"Well,  if  a  lady  can  ride  on  it,  perhaps  Dan  Webster 
can  do  as  much." 

And  so  they  set  out  on  their  journey  to  Exeter.  Mr. 
Webster  rode  in  front,  and  Daniel,  on  the  old  gray  nag, 
followed  behind.  The  roads  were  muddy,  and  they 
went  slowly.  It  took  them  two  days  to  reach  Exeter. 

The  people  whom  they  met  gazed  at  them  and  won 
dered  who  they  could  be.  They  scarcely  noticed  the 
sidesaddle ;  they  noticed  only  the  boy's  dark  eyes  and 
his  strong,  noble  face. 

His  clothes  were  of  homemade  stuff ;  his  shoes  were 
coarse  and  heavy ;  he  had  no  gloves  on  his  hands ;  he 
was  awkward  and  bashful. 

Yet  there  was  something  in  his  manner  and  voice 
that  caused  everybody  to  admire  him. 

Daniel  Webster  lived  to  become  a  famous  orator  and  a 
great  statesman.  He  was  honored  at  home  and  abroad. 


The  Whisperers  81 

THE  WHISPERERS 

"BOYS,  what  did  I  tell  you?" 

The  schoolmaster  spoke  angrily.  He  was  in  trouble 
because  his  scholars  would  not  study.  Whenever  his 
back  was  turned,  they  were  sure  to  begin  whispering  to 
one  another. 

"  Girls,  stop  your  whispering,  I  say." 

But  still  they  would  whisper,  and  he  could  not  pre 
vent  it.  The  afternoon  was  half  gone,  and  the  trouble 
was  growing.  Then  the  master  thought  of  a  plan. 

"  Children,"  he  said,  "we  are  going  to  play  a  new  game. 
The  next  one  that  whispers  must  come  out  and  stand 
in  the  middle  of  the  floor.  He  must  stand  there  until 
he  sees  some  one  else  whisper.  Then  he  will  tell  me,  and 
the  one  whom  he  names  must  come  and  take  his  place. 
He,  in  turn,  will  watch  and  report  the  first  one  that  he 
sees  whisper.  And  so  we  will  keep  the  game  going  till  it 
is  time  for  school  to  be  dismissed.  The  boy  or  girl  who 
is  standing  at  that  time  will  be  punished  for  all  of  you." 

"  What  will  the  punishment  be,  Mr.  Johnson  ?"  asked 
a  bold,  bad  boy. 

"A  good  thrashing,"  answered  the  master.  He  was 
tired,  he  was  vexed,  he  hardly  knew  what  he  said. 

FIFTY    FAMOUS    PEOPLE 6 


82  Elihu  Burritt 

The  children  thought  the  new  game  was  very  funny. 
First,  Tommy  Jones  whispered  to  Billy  Brown  and  was 
at  once  called  out  to  stand  on  the  floor.  Within  less 
than  two  minutes,  Billy  saw  Mary  Green  whispering, 
and  she  had  to  take  his  place.  Mary  looked  around 
and  saw  Samuel  Miller  asking  his  neighbor  for  a  pencil, 
and  Samuel  was  called.  And  so  the  fun  went  on  until 
the  clock  showed  that  it  lacked  only  ten  minutes  till 
school  would  be  dismissed. 

Then  all  became  very  good  and  very  careful,  for  no 
one  wished  to  be  standing  at  the  time  of  dismissal. 
They  knew  that  the  master  would  be  as  good  as  his  word. 

The  clock  ticked  loudly,  and  Tommy  Jones,  who  was 
standing  up  for  the  fourth  time,  began  to  feel  very  un 
easy.  He  stood  on  one  leg  and  then  on  the  other,  and 
watched  very  closely ;  but  nobody  whispered.  Could 
it  be  possible  that  he  would  receive  that  thrashing? 

Suddenly,  to  his  great  joy  he  saw  little  Lucy  Martin 
lean  over  her  desk  and  whisper  to  the  girl  in  front 
of  her.  Now  Lucy  was  the  pet  of  the  school.  Every 
body  loved  her,  and  this  was  the  first  time  she  had  whis 
pered  that  day.  But  Tommy  didn't  care  for  that. 
He  wished  to  escape  the  punishment,  and  so  he  called 
out,  "Lucy  Martin !"  and  went  proudly  to  his  seat. 


The  Whisperers  83 

Little  Lucy  had  not  meant  to  whisper.  There  was 
something  which  she  wished  very  much  to  know  before 
going  home,  and  so,  without  thinking,  she  had  leaned 


over  and  whis 
pered  just  three 
little  words.  With  tears  in  her  eyes  she  went  out  and 
stood  in  the  whisperer's  place. 

She  was  very  much  ashamed  and  hurt,  for  it  was  the 
first  time  that  she  had  ever  been  in  disgrace  at  school. 
The  other  girls  felt  sorry  that  she  should  suffer  for  so 
small  a  fault.  The  boys  looked  at  her  and  wondered 
if  the  master  would  really  be  as  good  as  his  word. 

The  clock  kept  on  ticking.  It  lacked  only  one  minute 
till  the  bell  would  strike  the  time  for  dismissal.  What 


84  Elihu  Burritt 

a  shame  that  dear,  gentle  Lucy  should  be  punished  for 
all  those  unruly  boys  and  girls  ! 

Then,  suddenly,  an  awkward  half-grown  boy  who 
sat  right  in  front  of  the  master's  desk  turned  squarely 
around  and  whispered  to  Tommy  Jones,  three  desks 
away. 

Everybody  saw  him.  Little  Lucy  Martin  saw  him 
through  her  tears,  but  said  nothing.  Everybody  was 
astonished,  for  that  boy  was  the  best  scholar  in  the 
school,  and  he  had  never  been  known  to  break  a  rule. 

It  lacked  only  half  a  minute  now.  The  awkward  boy 
turned  again  and  whispered  so  loudly  that  even  the 
master  could  not  help  hearing :  "  Tommy,  you  deserve  a 
thrashing!" 

"Elihu  Burritt,  take  your  place  on  the  floor/'  said  the 
master  sternly. 

The  awkward  boy  stepped  out  quickly,  and  little  Lucy 
Martin  returned  to  her  seat  sobbing.  At  the  same 
moment  the  bell  struck  and  school  was  dismissed. 

After  all  the  others  had  gone  home,  the  master  took 
down  his  long  birch  rod  and  said:  " Elihu,  I  suppose 
I  must  be  as  good  as  my  word.  But  tell  me  why  you 
so  deliberately  broke  the  rule  against  whispering." 

"I  did  it  to  save  little  Lucy,"  said  the  awkward  boy, 


How  a  Prince  Learned  to  Read    85 

standing  up  very  straight  and  brave.     "I  could  not 
Dear  to  see  her  punished." 
"Elihu,  you  may  go  home,"  said  the  master. 

All  this  happened  many  years  ago  in  New  Britain, 
Connecticut.  Elihu  Burritt  was  a  poor  boy  who  was 
determined  to  learn.  He  worked  many  years  as  a  black 
smith  and  studied  books  whenever  he  had  a  spare  mo 
ment.  He  learned  many  languages  and  became  known 
all  over  the  world  as  "The  Learned  Blacksmith." 

HOW  A  PRINCE   LEARNED   TO   READ 

I 

A  THOUSAND  years  ago  boys  and  girls  did  not  learn  to 
read.  Books  were  very  scarce  and  very  precious,  and 
only  a  few  men  could  read  them. 

Each  book  was  written  with  a  pen  or  a  brush.  The 
pictures  were  painted  by  hand,  and  some  of  them  were 
very  beautiful.  A  good  book  would  sometimes  cost  as 
much  as  a  good  house. 

In  those  times  there  were  even  some  kings  who  could 
not  read.  They  thought  more  of  hunting  and  fighting 
than  of  learning. 

There  was  one  such  king  who  had  four  sons,  Ethel- 


86  Alfred  the  Great 

bald,  Ethelbert,  Ethelred,  and  Alfred.1  The  three 
older  boys  were  sturdy,  half-grown  lads;  the  youngest, 
Alfred,  was  a  slender,  fair-haired  child. 

One  day  when  they  were  with  their  mother,  she 
showed  them  a  wonderful  book  that  some  rich  friend 
had  given  her.  She  turned  the  leaves  and  showed  them 
the  strange  letters.  She  showed  them  the  beautiful 
pictures,  and  told  them  how  they  had  been  drawn  and 
painted. 

They  admired  the  book  very  much,  for  they  had 
never  seen  anything  like  it. 

"But  the  best  part  of  it  is  the  story  which  it  tells," 
said  their  mother.  "If  you  could  only  read,  you  might 
learn  that  story  and  enjoy  it.  Now  I  have  a  mind  to 
give  this  book  to  one  of  you." 

"Will  you  give  it  to  me,  mother?"  asked  little  Alfred. 

"I  will  give  it  to  the  one  who  first  learns  to  read  in 
it,"  she  answered. 

"I  am  sure  I  would  rather  have  a  good  bow  with 
arrows,"  said  Ethelred. 

"And  I  would  rather  have  a  young  hawk  that  has 
been  trained  to  hunt,"  said  Ethelbert. 

"If  I  were  a  priest  or  a  monk,"  said  Ethelbald,  "I 

*  Eth'el  bald,  Eth'el  bert,  Eth'el  red,  Al'fred. 


How  a  Prince  Learned  to  Read    87 

would  learn  to  read.     But  I  am  a  prince,  and  it  is  fool 
ish  for  princes  to  waste  their  time  with  such  things." 

"But  I  should  like  to  know  the  story  which  this  book 
tells,"  said  Alfred. 

II 

A  few  weeks  passed  by.  Then,  one  morning,  Alfred 
went  into  his  mother's  room  with  a  smiling,  joyous  face. 

"Mother,"  he  said,  "will  you  let  me  see  that  beauti 
ful  book  again?" 

His  mother  unlocked  her  cabinet  and  took  the  pre 
cious  volume  from  its  place  of  safe  keeping. 

Alfred  opened  it  with  careful  fingers.  Then  he  began 
with  the  first  word  on  the  first  page  and  read  the  first 
story  aloud  without  making  one  mistake. 

"0  my  child,  how  did  you  learn  to  do  that?"  cried 
his  mother. 

"I  asked  the  monk,  Brother  Felix,  to  teach  me,"  said 
Alfred.  "And  every  day  since  you  showed  me  the 
book,  he  has  given  me  a  lesson.  It  was  no  easy  thing 
to  learn  these  letters  and  how  they  are  put  together  to 
make  words.  Now,  Brother  Felix  says  I  can  read  al 
most  as  well  as  he." 

"How  wonderful !  "  said  his  mother. 

"How  foolish  !  "  said  Ethelbald. 


Alfred  the  Great 


"  You  will  be  a  good  monk  when  you  grow  up/'  said 
Ethelred,  with  a  sneer. 

But  his  mother  kissed  him  and  gave  him  the  beauti 
ful  book.  "The  prize  is  yours,  Alfred/'  she  said.  "I 


<  < 


Read,  and  You  Will  Know  "     89 


am  sure  that  whether  you  grow  up  to  be  a  monk  or  a 
king,  you  will  be  a  wise  and  noble  man." 

And  Alfred  did  grow  up  to  become  the  wisest  and 
noblest  king  that  England  ever  had.  In  history  he  is 
called  Alfred  the  Great. 


"READ,  AND  YOU  WILL  KNOW" 

"MOTHER,  what  are  the  clouds  made  of  ?  Why  does 
the  rain  fall?  Where  does  all  the  rain  water  go? 
What  good  does  it  do?" 

Little  William  Jones  was  always  asking  questions. 

"I  want  to  know,"  he  said ;  "I  want  to  know  every 
thing." 

At  first  his  mother  tried  to  answer  all  his  questions. 
But  after  he  had  learned  to  read,  she  taught  him  to  look 
in  books  for  that  which  he  wished  to  know. 

"Mother,  what  makes  the  wind  blow?" 

"Read,  and  you  will  know,  my  child." 

"Who  lives  on  the  other  side  of  the  world?" 

"Read,  and  you  will  know." 

"Why  is  the  sky  so  blue?" 

"Read,  and  you  will  know." 

"Oh,  mother,  I  would  like  to  know  everything." 


90  Sir  William  Jones 

"You  can  never  know  everything,  my  child.  But 
you  can  learn  many  things  from  books. " 

"Yes,  mother,  I  will  read  and  then  I  will  know." 

He  was  a  very  little  boy,  but  before  he  was  three 
years  old  he  could  read  quite  well.  When  eight  years 
of  age  he  was  the  best  scholar  at  the  famous  school  at 
Harrow.  He  was  always  reading,  learning,  inquiring. 

"I  want  to  know ;  I  want  to  know/'  he  kept  saying. 

"  Read,  and  you  will  know,"  said  his  mother.  "  Read 
books  that  are  true.  Read  about  things  that  are  beau 
tiful  and  good.  Read  in  order  to  become  wise. 

"Do  not  waste  your  time  in  reading  foolish  books. 
Do  not  read  bad  books,  they  will  make  you  bad.  No 
book  is  worth  reading  that  does  not  make  you  better 
or  wiser." 

And  so  William  Jones  went  on  reading  and  learning. 
He  became  one  of  the  most  famous  scholars  in  the  world. 
The  king  of  England  made  him  a  knight  and  called  him 
Sir  William  Jones. 

Sir  William  Jones  lived  nearly  two  hundred  years 
ago.  He  was  noted  for  his  great  knowledge,  the  most 
of  which  he  had  obtained  from  books.  It  is  said  that 
he  could  speak  and  write  forty  languages. 


The  Young  Cupbearer  91 

THE  YOUNG  CUPBEARER 

I 

LONG,  long  ago,  there  lived  in  Persia  a  little  prince 
whose  name  was  Cyrus.1 

He  was  not  petted  and  spoiled  like  many  other 
princes.  Although  his  father  was  a  king,  Cyrus  was 
brought  up  like  the  son  of  a  common  man. 

He  knew  how  to  work  with  his  hands.  He  ate  only 
the  plainest  food.  He  slept  on  a  hard  bed.  He  learned 
to  endure  hunger  and  cold. 

When  Cyrus  was  twelve  years  old  he  went  with  his 
mother  to  Media  to  visit  his  grandfather.  His  grand 
father,  whose  name  was  Astyages,2  was  king  of  Media, 
and  very  rich  and  powerful. 

Cyrus  was  so  tall  and  strong  and  handsome  that  his 
grandfather  was  very  proud  of  him.  He  wished  the 
lad  to  stay  with  him  in  Media.  He  therefore  gave  him 
many  beautiful  gifts  and  everything  that  could  please 
a  prince. 

One  day  King  Astyages  planned  to  make  a  great 
feast  for  the  lad.  The  tables  were  to  be  laden  with  all 
kinds  of  food.  There  was  to  be  music  and  dancing; 
and  Cyrus  was  to  invite  as  many  guests  as  he  chose. 

1  Cyrus  (pro.  si'rus).  2  Astyages  (pro.  as  ti'a  jeez). 


92  Cyrus  the  Great 

The  hour  for  the  feast  came.  Everything  was  ready. 
The  servants  were  there,  dressed  in  fine  uniforms.  The 
musicians  and  dancers  were  in  their  places.  But  no 
guests  came. 

"  How  is  this,  my  dear  boy  ?  "  asked  the  king.  "  The 
feast  is  ready,  but  no  one  has  come  to  partake  of  it." 

"That  is  because  I  have  not  invited  any  one,"  said 
Cyrus.  "In  Persia  we  do  not  have  such  feasts.  If 
any  one  is  hungry,  he  eats  some  bread  and  meat,  with 
perhaps  a  few  cresses,  and  that  is  the  end  of  it.  We 
never  go  to  all  this  trouble  and  expense  of  making  a  fine 
dinner  in  order  that  our  friends  may  eat  what  is  not  good 
for  them." 

King  Astyages  did  not  know  whether  to  be  pleased 
or  displeased. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "all  these  rich  foods  that  were  pre 
pared  for  the  feast  are  yours.  What  will  you  do  with 
them?" 

"I  think  I  will  give  them  to  our  friends,"  said  Cyrus. 

So  he  gave  one  portion  to  the  king's  officer  who  had 
taught  him  to  ride.  Another  portion  he  gave  to  an  old 
servant  who  waited  upon  his  grandfather.  And  the 
rest  he  divided  among  the  young  women  who  took  care 
of  his  mother. 


The  Young  Cupbearer  93 

ii 

The  king's  cupbearer,  Sarcas,  was  very  much  of 
fended  because  he  was  not  given  a  share  of  the  feast. 
The  king  also  wondered  why  this  man,  who  was  his 
favorite,  should  be  so  slighted. 

"Why  didn't  you  give  something  to  Sarcas?"  he 
asked. 

"Well,  truly,"  said  Cyrus,  "I  do  not  like  him.  He 
is  proud  and  overbearing.  He  thinks  that  he  makes 
a  fine  figure  when  he  waits  on  you." 

"And  so  he  does,"  said  the  king.  "He  is  very  skill 
ful  as  a  cupbearer." 

"That  may  be  so,"  answered  Cyrus,  "  but  if  you  will 
let  me  be  your  cupbearer  to-morrow,  I  think  I  can 
serve  you  quite  as  well." 

King  Astyages  smiled.  He  saw  that  Cyrus  had  a 
will  of  his  own,  and  this  pleased  him  very  much. 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  see  what  you  can  do,"  he  said. 
"To-morrow,  you  shall  be  the  king's  cupbearer." 

Ill 

You  would  hardly  have  known  the  young  prince  when 
the  time  came  for  him  to  appear  before  his  grandfather. 
He  was  dressed  in  the  rich  uniform  of  the  cupbearer, 
and  he  came  forward  with  much  dignity  and  grace. 


94  Cyrus  the  Great 

He  carried  a  white  napkin  upon  his  arm,  and  held 
the  cup  of  wine  very  daintily  with  three  of  his  fingers. 


His  manners  were  perfect.  Sarcas  himself  could  not 
have  served  the  king  half  so  well. 

"Bravo!  bravo !"  cried  his  mother,  her  eyes  spar 
kling  with  pride. 

"You  have  done  well/'  said  his  grandfather.    "But 


The  Young  Cupbearer  95 

you  neglected  one  important  thing.  It  is  the  rule  and 
custom  of  the  cupbearer  to  pour  out  a  little  of  the  wine 
and  taste  it  before  handing  the  cup  to  me.  This  you 
forgot  to  do." 

"Indeed,  grandfather,  I  did  not  forget  it,"  answered 
Cyrus. 

"Then  why  didn't  you  do  it?"  asked  his  mother. 

"Because  I  believed  there  was  poison  in  the  wine." 

"Poison,  my  boy!"  cried  King  Astyages,  much 
alarmed.  "Poison!  poison!" 

"Yes,  grandfather,  poison.  For  the  other  day,  when 
you  sat  at  dinner  with  your  officers,  I  noticed  that  the 
wine  made  you  act  queerly.  After  the  guests  had  drunk 
quite  a  little  of  it,  they  began  to  talk  foolishly  and  sing 
loudly;  and  some  of  them  went  to  sleep.  And  you, 
grandfather,  were  as  bad  as  the  rest.  You  forgot  that 
you  were  king.  You  forgot  all  your  good  manners. 
You  tried  to  dance  and  fell  upon  the  floor.  I  am  afraid 
to  drink  anything  that  makes  men  act  in  that  way." 

"Didn't  you  ever  see  your  father  behave  so?"  asked 
the  king. 

"  No,  never,"  said  Cyrus.  "  He  does  not  drink  merely 
to  be  drinking.  He  drinks  to  quench  his  thirst,  and 
that  is  all." 


96  Caliph  Al  Mamoun 

When  Cyrus  became  a  man,  he  succeeded  his  father 
as  king  of  Persia;  he  also  succeeded  his  grandfather 
Astyages  as  king  of  Media.  He  was  a  very  wise  and 
powerful  ruler,  and  he  made  his  country  the  greatest 
of  any  that  was  then  known.  In  history  he  is  com 
monly  called  Cyrus  the  Great. 


.  THE  SONS  OF  THE  CALIPH 

THERE  was  a  caliph  of  Persia  whose  name  was  Al 
Mamoun.1  He  had  two  sons  whom  he  wished  to  become 
honest  and  noble  men.  So  he  employed  a  wise  man 
whose  name  was  Al  Farra  to  be  their  teacher. 

One  day,  after  lesson  hours,  Al  Farra  rose  to  go  out 
of  the  house.  The  two  boys  saw  him  and  ran  to  fetch 
his  shoes.  For  in  that  country,  people  never  wear 
shoes  in  the  house,  but  take  them  off  at  the  door. 

The  two  boys  ran  for  the  teacher's  shoes,  and  each 
claimed  the  honor  of  carrying  them  to  him.  But  they 
dared  not  quarrel  and  at  last  agreed  that  each  should 
carry  one  shoe.  Thus  the  honor  would  be  divided. 

When  the  caliph  heard  of  this  he  sent  for  Al  Farra 
and  asked  him,  "Who  is  the  most  honored  of  men?" 

1  Al  Mam'oun. 


The  Sons  of  the  Caliph  97 

The  teacher  answered,  "I  know  of  no  man  who  is 
more  honored  than  yourself." 

"No,  no,"  said  the  caliph.  "It  is  the  man  who  rose 
to  go  out,  and  two  young  princes  contended  for  the 
honor  of  giving  him  his  shoes  but  at  last  agreed  that 
each  should  offer  him  one." 

Al  Farra  answered,  "Sir,  I  should  have  forbidden 
them  to  do  this,  but  I  feared  to  discourage  them.  I 
hope  that  I  shall  never  do  anything  to  make  them  care 
less  of  their  duties." 

"Well,"  said  the  caliph,  "if  you  had  forbidden  them 
thus  to  honor  you,  I  should  have  declared  you  in  the 
wrong.  They  did  nothing  that  was  beneath  the  dig 
nity  of  princes.  Indeed,  they  honored  themselves  by 
honoring  you." 

Al  Farra  bowed  low,  but  said  nothing;  and  the 
caliph  went  on. 

"No  young  man  nor  boy,"  said  he,  "can  be  so  high 
in  rank  as  to  neglect  three  great  duties :  he  must  re 
spect  his  ruler,  he  must  love  and  obey  his  father,  and  he 
must  honor  his  teacher." 

Then  he  called  the  two  young  princes  to  him,  and  as  a 
reward  for  their  noble  conduct,  filled  their  pockets  with 
gold. 

FIFTY    FAMOUS    PEOPLE 7 


98  Otanes 

THE  BOY  AND  THE  ROBBERS 

IN  Persia,  when  Cyrus  the  Great  was  king,  boys  were 
taught  to  tell  the  truth.  This  was  one  of  their  first 
lessons  at  home  and  at  school. 

"None  but  a  coward  will  tell  a  falsehood,"  said  the 
father  of  young  Otanes.1 

"Truth  is  beautiful.  Always  love  it,"  said  his 
mother. 

When  Otanes  was  twelve  years  old,  his  parents 
wished  to  send  him  to  a  distant  city  to  study  in  a  famous 
school  that  was  there.  It  would  be  a  long  journey  and 
a  dangerous  one.  So  it  was  arranged  that  the  boy 
should  travel  with  a  small  company  of  merchants  who 
were  going  to  the  same  place. 

"Good-by,  Otanes !  Be  always  brave  and  truthful/' 
said  his  father. 

"Farewell,  my  child  !  Love  that  which  is  beautiful. 
Despise  that  which  is  base,"  said  his  mother. 

The  little  company  began  its  long  journey.  Some 
of  the  men  rode  on  camels,  some  on  horses.  They  went 
but  slowly,  for  the  sun  was  hot  and  the  way  was  rough. 

Suddenly,  towards  evening,  a  band  of  robbers  swooped 

1  Otanes  (pro.  o  ta'nez). 


The  Boy  and  the  Robbers         99 

down  upon  them.  The  merchants  were  not  fighting 
men.  They  could  do  nothing  but  give  up  all  their 
goods  and  money. 

"Well,  boy,  what  have  you  got?"  asked  one  of 
the  robbers,  as  he  pulled  Otanes  from  his  horse. 

"  Forty  pieces  of  gold,"  answered  the  lad. 

The  robber  laughed.  He  had  never  heard  of  a  boy 
with  so  much  money  as  that. 

"That  is  a  good  story,"  he  said.  "Where  do  you 
carry  your  gold?" 

"It  is  in  my  hat,  underneath  the  lining,"  answered 
Otanes. 

"Oh,  well !  You  can't  make  me  believe  that,"  said 
the  robber;  and  he  hurried  away  to  rob  one  of  the 
rich  merchants. 

Soon  another  came  up  and  said,  "My  boy,  do  you 
happen  to  have  any  gold  about  you  ?" 

"Yes !    Forty  pieces,  in  my  hat,"  said  Otanes. 

"You  are  a  brave  lad  to  be  joking  with  robbers," 
said  the  man ;  and  he  also  hurried  on  to  a  more  promis 
ing  field. 

At  length  the  chief  of  the  band  called  to  Otanes  and 
said,  "Young  fellow,  have  you  anything  worth  taking  ?" 

Otanes  answered,  "I  have  already  told  two  of  your 


100 


Otanes 


men  that  I  have  forty  pieces  of  gold  in  my  hat. 
they  wouldn't  believe  me." 

"Take  off  your  hat/'  said  the  chief. 


But 


The  boy  obeyed.  The  chief  tore  out  the  lining  and 
found  the  gold  hidden  beneath  it. 

"Why  did  you  tell  us  where  to  find  it?"  he  asked. 
"No  one  would  have  thought  that  a  child  like  you  had 
gold  about  him." 


A  Lesson  ii>  Justice  101 

"If  I  had  answered  your  questions  differently,  I 
should  have  told  a  lie,"  said  Otanes;  "and  none  but 
cowards  tell  lies." 

The  robber  chief  was  struck  by  this  answer.  He 
thought  of  the  number  of  times  that  he  himself  had  been 
a  coward.  Then  he  said,  "You  are  a  brave  boy,  and 
you  may  keep  your  gold.  Here  it  is.  Mount  your 
horse,  and  my  own  men  will  ride  with  you  and  see  that 
you  reach  the  end  of  your  journey  in  safety." 

Otanes,  in  time,  became  one  of  the  famous  men  of 
his  country.  He  was  the  advisor  and  friend  of  two  of 
the  kings  who  succeeded  Cyrus. 

A  LESSON  IN  JUSTICE 

ALEXANDER,1  the  king  of  Macedon,2  wished  to  be 
come  the  master  of  the  whole  world.  He  led  his  armies 
through  many  countries.  He  plundered  cities,  he 
burned  towns,  he  destroyed  thousands  of  lives. 

At  last,  far  in  the  East,  he  came  to  a  land  of  which  he 
had  never  heard.  The  people  there  knew  nothing 
about  war  and  conquest.  Although  they  were  rich, 
they  lived  simply  and  were  at  peace  with  all  the  world. 

1  Al  ex  an'der.  2  Macedon  (pro.  mas'e  don). 


1C2  Alexander  the  Great 

The  shah,  or  ruler  of  these  people,  went  out  to  meet 
Alexander  and  welcome  him  to  their  country.  He  led 
the  great  king  to  his  palace  and  begged  that  he  would 
dine  with  him. 

When  they  were  seated  at  the  table  the  servants  of  the 
shah  stood  by  to  serve  the  meal.  They  brought  in 
what  seemed  to  be  fruits,  nuts,  cakes,  and  other  deli 
cacies;  but  when  Alexander  would  eat  he  found  that 
everything  was  made  of  gold. 

"What !"  said  he,  "do  you  eat  gold  in  this  country  ?" 

"We  ourselves  eat  only  common  food,"  answered 
the  shah.  "But  we  have  heard  that  it  was  the  desire 
for  gold  which  caused  you  to  leave  your  own  country ; 
and  so,  we  wish  to  satisfy  your  appetite/' 

"It  was  not  for  gold  that  I  came  here/'  said  Alex 
ander.  "I  came  to  learn  the  customs  of  your  people/' 

"Very  well,  then/'  said  the  shah,  "stay  with  me  a 
little  while  and  observe  what  you  can/' 

While  the  shah  and  the  king  were  talking,  two  coun 
trymen  came  in.  "My  lord/'  said  one,  "we  have  had 
a  disagreement,  and  wish  you  to  settle  the  matter/' 

"Tell  me  about  it,"  said  the  shah. 

"Well,  it  is  this  way,"  answered  the  man :  "I  bought 
a  piece  of  ground  from  this  neighbor  of  mine,  and  paid 


A  Lesson  in  Justice  103 

him  a  fair  price  for  it.  Yesterday,  when  I  was  digging 
in  it,  I  found  a  box  full  of  gold  and  jewels.  This  treas 
ure  does  not  belong  to  me,  for  I  bought  only  the  ground ; 
but  when  I  offered  it  to  my  neighbor  he  refused  it." 

The  second  man  then  spoke  up  and  said,  "  It  is  true 
that  I  sold  him  the  ground,  but  I  did  not  reserve  any 
thing  he  might  find  in  it.  The  treasure  is  not  mine, 
and  therefore  I  am  unwilling  to  take  it." 

The  shah  sat  silent  for  a  while,  as  if  in  thought. 
Then  he  said  to  the  first  man,  "Have  you  a  son?" 

"  Yes,  a  young  man  of  promise,"  was  the  answer. 

The  shah  turned  to  the  second  man:  "Have  you  a 
daughter?" 

"I  have,"  answered  the  man,  "  —  a  beautiful  girl." 

"Well,  then,  this  is  my  judgment.  Let  the  son 
marry  the  daughter,  if  both  agree,  and  give  them  the 
treasure  as  a  wedding  portion." 

Alexander  listened  with  great  interest.  "You  have 
judged  wisely  and  rightly,"  said  he  to  the  shah,  "but 
in  my  own  country  we  should  have  done  differently." 

"What  would  you  have  done?" 

"Well,  we  should  have  thrown  both  men  into  prison, 
and  the  treasure  would  have  been  given  to  the  king." 

"And  is  that  what  you  call  justice  ?"  asked  the  shah. 


104  Aristomenes 

"We  call  it  policy,"  said  Alexander. 

"Then  let  me  ask  you  a  question,"  said  the  shah. 
"Does  the  sun  shine  in  your  country?" 

"Surely." 

"Does  the  rain  fall  there?" 

"Oh,  yes!" 

"  Is  it  possible  !  But  are  there  any  gentle,  harmless 
animals  in  your  fields?" 

"A  great  many." 

"Then,"  said  the  shah,  "it  must  be  that  the  sun  shines 
and  the  rain  falls  for  the  sake  of  these  poor  beasts ;  for 
men  so  unjust  do  not  deserve  such  blessings." 


THE  GENERAL  AND  THE  FOX 

THERE  was  once  a  famous  Greek  general  whose  name 
was  Aristomenes.1  He  was  brave  and  wise;  and  his 
countrymen  loved  him. 

Once,  however,  in  a  great  battle  with  the  Spartans, 
his  army  was  beaten  and  he  was  taken  prisoner. 

In  those  days,  people  had  not  learned  to  be  kind  to 
their  enemies.  In  war,  they  were  savage  and  cruel ;  for 
war  always  makes  men  so. 

1  Aristomenes  (pro.  ar  is  tom'e  neez). 


The  General  and  the  Fox       105 

The  Spartans  hated  Aristomenes.  He  had  given 
them  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and  they  wished  to  destroy 
him. 

On  a  mountain  near  their  city,  there  was  a  narrow 
chasm  or  hole  in  the  rocks.  It  was  very  deep,  and  there 
was  no  way  to  climb  out  of  it. 

The  Spartans  said  to  one  another,  "Let  us  throw 
this  fellow  into  the  rocky  chasm.  Then  we  may  be 
sure  that  he  will  never  trouble  us  again." 

So  a  party  of  soldiers  led  him  up  into  the  mountain 
and  placed  him  on  the  edge  of  the  yawning  hole  in  the 
rocks.  "See  the  place  to  which  we  send  all  our  ene 
mies,"  they  said.  And  they  threw  him  in. 

No  one  knows  how  he  escaped  being  dashed  to  pieces. 
Some  of  the  Greeks  said  that  an  eagle  caught  him  in  her 
beak  and  carried  him  unharmed  to  the  bottom.  But 
that  is  not  likely. 

I  think  that  he  must  have  fallen  upon  some  bushes 
and  vines  that  grew  in  some  parts  of  the  chasm.  At 
any  rate  he  was  not  hurt  much. 

He  groped  around  in  the  dim  light,  but  could  not  find 
any  way  of  escape.  The  rocky  walls  surrounded  him 
on  every  side.  There  was  no  place  where  he  could  set 
his  foot  to  climb  out. 


106  Aristomenes 

For  three  days  he  lay  in  his  strange  prison.  He  grew 
weak  from  hunger  and  thirst.  He  expected  to  die 
from  starvation. 

Suddenly  he  was  startled  by  a  noise  close  by  him. 
Something  was  moving  among  the  rocks  at  the  bottom 
of  the  chasm.  He  watched  quietly,  and  soon  saw  a 
large  fox  coming  towards  him. 

He  lay  quite  still  till  the  animal  was  very  near.  Then 
he  sprang  up  quickly  and  seized  it  by  the  tail. 

The  frightened  fox  scampered  away  as  fast  as  it  could  ; 
and  Aristomenes  followed,  clinging  to  its  tail.  It  ran 
into  a  narrow  cleft  which  he  had  not  seen  before,  and 
then  through  a  long,  dark  passage  which  was  barely 
large  enough  for  a  man's  body. 

Aristomenes  held  on.  At  last  he  saw  a  ray  of  light 
far  ahead  of  him.  It  was  the  sunlight  streaming  in  at 
the  entrance  to  the  passage.  But  soon  the  way  became 
too  narrow  for  his  body  to  pass  through.  What  should 
he  do? 

He  let  go  of  the  fox,  and  it  ran  out.  Then  with  great 
labor  he  began  to  widen  the  passageway.  Here  the 
rocks  were  smaller,  and  he  soon  loosened  them  enough 
to  allow  him  to  squeeze  through.  In  a  short  time  he 
was  free  and  in  the  open  air. 


The  Bomb  107 

Some  days  after  this  the  Spartans  heard  strange  news : 
"Aristomenes  is  again  at  the  head  of  the  Greek  army/' 
They  could  not  believe  it. 


THE  BOMB 

DID  you  ever  hear  of  King  Charles  the  Twelfth,  of 
Sweden  ?  He  lived  two  hundred  years  ago,  and  was 
famous  for  his  courage  in  defending  his  country. 

One  day  he  was  in  the  midst  of  a  great  battle.  The 
small  house  in  which  he  had  taken  shelter  was  almost 
between  the  two  armies. 

He  called  to  one  of  his  officers  and  bade  him  sit  down 
and  write  a  short  order  for  him. 

The  officer  began  to  write,  but  just  as  he  finished  the 
first  word,  a  bomb  came  through  the  roof  of  the  house 
and  struck  the  floor  close  by  him.  He  dropped  the  pen 
and  sprang  to  his  feet.  He  was  pale  with  fear. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  the  king. 

"Oh,  sir,"  he  answered,  "the  bomb  !  the  bomb  !" 

"Yes,  I  see,"  said  the  king.  "But  what  has  the 
bomb  to  do  with  what  I  wish  you  to  write  ?  Sit  down, 
and  take  your  pen.  When  your  country  is  in  danger, 
you  should  forget  your  own  safety." 


108  Coriolanus 

A  STORY  OF  OLD  ROME 

THERE  was  a  great  famine  in  Rome.  The  summer 
had  been  very  dry  and  the  corn  crop  had  failed. 
There  was  no  bread  in  the  city.  The  people  were 
starving. 

One  day,  to  the  great  joy  of  all,  some  ships  arrived 
from  another  country.  These  ships  were  loaded  with 
corn.  Here  was  food  enough  for  all. 

The  rulers  of  the  city  met  to  decide  what  should  be 
done  with  the  corn. 

"Divide  it  among  the  poor  people  who  need  it  so 
badly,"  said  some.  "Let  it  be  a  free  gift  to  them  from 
the  city." 

But  one  of  the  rulers  was  not  willing  to  do  this.  His 
name  was  Coriolanus,1  and  he  was  very  rich. 

"These  people  are  poor  because  they  have  been  too 
lazy  to  work/'  he  said.  "They  do  not  deserve  any 
gifts  from  the  city.  Let  those  who  wish  any  corn  bring 
money  and  buy  it." 

When  the  people  heard  about  this  speech  of  the  rich 
man,  Coriolanus,  they  were  very  angry. 

"He  is  no  true  Roman/'  said  some. 

1  Co  ri  o  la'ims. 


A  Story  of  Old  Rome          109 

"He  is  selfish  and  unjust,"  said  others. 

"He  is  an  enemy  to  the  poor.  Kill  him  !  kill  him  !" 
cried  the  mob.  They  did  not  kill  him,  but  they  drove 
him  out  of  the  city  and  bade  him  never  return. 

Coriolanus  made  his  way  to  the  city  of  Antium,1 
which  was  not  far  from  Rome.  The  people  of  Antium 
were  enemies  of  the  Romans  and  had  often  been  at  war 
with  them.  So  they  welcomed  Coriolanus  very  kindly 
and  made  him  the  general  of  their  army. 

Coriolanus  began  at  once  to  make  ready  for  war 
against  Rome.  He  persuaded  other  towns  near  An 
tium  to  send  their  soldiers  to  help  him. 

Soon,  at  the  head  of  a  very  great  army,  he  marched 
toward  the  city  which  had  once  been  his  home.  The 
rude  soldiers  of  Antium  overran  all  the  country  around 
Rome.  They  burned  the  villages  and  farmhouses. 
They  filled  the  land  with  terror. 

Coriolanus  pitched  his  camp  quite  near  to  the  city. 
His  army  was  the  greatest  that  the  Romans  had  ever 
seen.  They  knew  that  they  were  helpless  before  so 
strong  an  enemy. 

"Surrender  your  city  to  me,"  said  Coriolanus. 
"Agree  to  obey  the  laws  that  I  shall  make  for  you. 

1  Antium  (pro.  an'shi  um). 


110  Coriolanus 

Do  this,  or  I  will  burn  Rome  and  destroy  all  its 
people. " 

The  Romans  answered,  "We  must  have  time  to  think 
of  this  matter.  Give  us  a  few  days  to  learn  what  sort 
of  laws  you  will  make  for  us,  and  then  we  will  say 
whether  we  can  submit  to  them  or  not." 

"I  will  give  you  thirty  days  to  consider  the  matter/' 
said  Coriolanus. 

Then  he  told  them  what  laws  he  would  require  them 
to  obey.  These  laws  were  so  severe  that  all  said,  "It 
will  be  better  to  die  at  once." 

At  the  end  of  the  thirty  days,  four  of  the  city's  rulers 
went  out  to  beg  him  to  show  mercy  to  the  people  of 
Rome.  These  rulers  were  old  men,  with  wise  faces  and 
long  white  beards.  They  went  out  bareheaded  and 
very  humble. 

Coriolanus  would  not  listen  to  them.  He  drove  them 
back  with  threats,  and  told  them  that  they  should 
expect  no  mercy  from  him ;  but  he  agreed  to  give  them 
three  more  days  to  consider  the  matter. 

The  next  day,  all  the  priests  and  learned  men  went 
out  to  beg  for  mercy.  These  were  dressed  in  their  long 
flowing  robes,  and  all  knelt  humbly  before  him.  But 
he  drove  them  back  with  scornful  words. 


A  Story  of  Old  Rome          111 

On  the  last  day,  the  great  army  which  Coriolanus 
had  led  from  Antium  was  drawn  up  in  battle  array. 
It  was  ready  to  march  upon  the  city  and  destroy  it. 

All  Rome  was  in  terror.  There  seemed  to  be  no  way 
to  escape  the  anger  of  this  furious  man. 

Then  the  rulers,  in  their  despair,  said,  "Let  us  go  up 
to  the  house  where  Coriolanus  used  to  live  when  he  was 
one  of  us.  His  mother  and  his  wife  are  still  there. 
They  are  noble  women,  and  they  love  Rome.  Let  us 
ask  them  to  go  out  and  beg  our  enemy  to  have  mercy 
upon  us.  His  heart  will  be  hard  indeed  if  he  can  refuse 
his  mother  and  his  wife." 

The  two  noble  women  were  willing  to  do  all  that  they 
could  to  save  their  city.  So,  leading  his  little  children 
by  the  hand,  they  went  out  to  meet  Coriolanus.  Be 
hind  them  followed  a  long  procession  of  the  women 
of  Rome. 

Coriolanus  was  in  his  tent.  When  he  saw  his  mother 
and  his  wife  and  his  children,  he  was  filled  with  joy. 
But  when  they  made  known  their  errand,  his  face 
darkened,  and  he  shook  his  head. 

For  a  long  time  his  mother  pleaded  with  him.  For  ? 
long  time  his  wife  begged  him  to  be  merciful.  His  little 
children  clung  to  his  knees  and  spoke  loving  words  to  him. 


112 


Coriolanus 


At  last,  he  could  hold  out  no  longer.     "0  mother/' 
he  said,  "you  have  saved  your  country,  but  have  lost 


your  son !"     Then  he  commanded  his  army  to  march 
back  to  the  city  of  Antium. 

Rome  was  saved;   but  Coriolanus  could  never  re- 


Saved  by  a  Dolphin  113 

turn  to  his  home,  his  mother,  his  wife  and  children. 
He  was  lost  to  them. 


SAVED  BY  A  DOLPHIN 

IN  the  city  of  Corinth  1  there  once  lived  a  wonderful 
musician  whose  name  was  Arion.2  No  other  person 
could  play  on  the  lyre  or  sing  so  sweetly  as  he ;  and 
the  songs  which  he  composed  were  famous  in  many 
lands. 

The  king  of  Corinth  was  his  friend.  The  people  of 
Corinth  never  grew  tired  of  praising  his  sweet  music. 

One  summer  he  went  over  the  sea  to  Italy ;  for  his 
name  was  well  known  there,  and  many  people  wished 
to  hear  him  sing. 

He  visited  several  cities,  and  in  each  place  he  was  well 
paid  for  his  music. 

At  last,  having  become  quite  rich,  he  decided  to  go 
home.  There  was  a  ship  just  ready  to  sail  for  Corinth, 
and  the  captain  agreed  to  take  him  as  a  passenger. 

The  sea  was  rough.  The  ship  was  driven  far  out  of 
her  course.  Many  days  passed  before  they  came  in 
sight  of  land. 

1  Cor'inth.  2  A  ri'on. 

FIFTY    FAMOUS    PEOPLE 8 


114  Arion 

The  sailors  were  rude  and  unruly.  The  captain  him 
self  had  been  a  robber. 

When  they  heard  that  Arion  had  a  large  sum  of  money 
with  him  they  began  to  make  plans  to  get  it. 

"The  easiest  way/'  said  the  captain,  "is  to  throw  him 
overboard.  Then  there  will  be  no  one  to  tell  tales." 

Arion  overheard  them  plotting. 

"You  may  take  everything  that  I  have,"  he  said, 
"if  you  will  only  spare  my  life." 

But  they  had  made  up  their  minds  to  get  rid  of  him. 
They  feared  to  spare  him  lest  he  should  report  the  mat 
ter  to  the  king. 

"Your  life  we  will  not  spare,"  they  said;  "but  we 
will  give  you  the  choice  of  two  things.  You  must  either 
jump  overboard  into  the  sea  or  be  slain  with  your  own 
sword.  Which  shall  it  be  ?  " 

"I  shall  jump  overboard,"  said  Arion,  "but  I  pray 
that  you  will  first  grant  me  a  favor." 

"What  is  it?"  asked  the  captain. 

"Allow  me  to  sing  to  you  my  latest  and  best  song. 
I  promise  that  as  soon  as  it  is  finished  I  will  leap  into 
the  sea." 

The  sailors  agreed ;  for  they  were  anxious  to  hear  the 
musician  whose  songs  were  famous  all  over  the  world. 


Saved  by  a  Dolphin 


115 


Arion  dressed  himself  in  his  finest  clothing.     He  took 
his  stand  on  the  forward  deck,  while  the  robber  sailors 


stood  in  a  half  circle  before  him,  anxious  to  listen  to  his 
song. 


116  Arion 

He  touched  his  lyre  and  began  to  play  the  accom 
paniment.  Then  he  sang  a  wonderful  song,  so  sweet,  so 
lively,  so  touching,  that  many  of  the  sailors  were  moved 
to  tears. 

And  now  they  would  have  spared  him ;  but  he  was 
true  to  his  promise,  —  as  soon  as  the  song  was  finished, 
he  threw  himself  headlong  into  the  sea. 

The  sailors  divided  his  money  among  themselves; 
and  the  ship  sailed  on. 

In  a  short  time  they  reached  Corinth  in  safety,  and 
the  king  sent  an  officer  to  bring  the  captain  and  his  men 
to  the  palace. 

"Are  you  lately  from  Italy?"  he  asked. 

"We  are,"  they  answered. 

"What  news  can  you  give  me  concerning  my  friend 
Arion,  the  sweetest  of  all  musicians?" 

"He  was  well  and  happy  when  we  left  Italy,"  they 
answered.  "He  has  a  mind  to  spend  the  rest  of  his 
life  in  that  country." 

Hardly  had  they  spoken  these  words  when  the  door 
opened  and  Arion  himself  stood  before  them.  He  was 
dressed  just  as  they  had  seen  him  when  he  jumped  into 
the  sea.  They  were  so  astonished  that  they  fell  upon 
their  knees  before  the  king  and  confessed  their  crime. 


Saved  by  a  Dolphin  117 

Now,  how  was  Arion  saved  from  drowning  when  he 
leaped  overboard  ? 

Old  story-tellers  say  that  he  alighted  on  the  back  of  a 
large  fish,  called  a  dolphin,  which  had  been  charmed 
by  his  music  and  was  swimming  near  the  ship.  The 
dolphin  carried  him  with  great  speed  to  the  nearest  shore. 
Then,  full  of  joy,  the  musician  hastened  to  Corinth, 
not  stopping  even  to  change  his  dress. 

He  told  his  wonderful  story  to  the  king;  but  the 
king  would  not  believe  him. 

"Wait/'  said  he,  "till  the  ship  arrives,  and  then  we 
shall  know  the  truth." 

Three  hours  later,  the  ship  came  into  port,  as  you  have 
already  learned. 

Other  people  think  that  the  dolphin  which  saved 
Arion  was  not  a  fish,  but  a  ship  named  the  Dolphin. 
They  say  that  Arion,  being  a  good  sv/immer,  kept  him 
self  afloat  until  this  ship  happened  to  pass  by  and  res 
cued  him  from  the  waves. 

You  may  believe  the  story  that  you  like  best.  The 
name  of  Arion  is  still  remembered  as  that  of  a  most 
wonderful  musician. 


118 


St.  Francis 


" LITTLE  BROTHERS  OF  THE  AIR" 
THE  man  of  whom  I  am  now  going  to  tell  you  was 
famous,  not  for  his  wealth  or  his  power  or  his  deeds  in 


war,  but  for  his  great  gentleness.     He  lived  more  than 
seven  hundred  years  ago  in  a  quaint  little  town  of  Italy. 


i  ( 


Little  Brothers  of  the  Air"      119 


His  name  was  Francis,  and  because  of  his  goodness,  all 
men  now  call  him  St.  Francis. 

Very  kind  and  loving  was  St.  Francis  — kind  and 
loving  not  only  to  men  but  to  all  living  things.  He 
spoke  of  the  birds  as  his  little  brothers  of  the  air,  and  he 
could  never  bear  to  see  them  harmed. 

At  Christmas  time  he  scattered  crumbs  of  bread  under 
the  trees,  so  that  the  tiny  creatures  could  feast  and  be 
happy. 

Once  when  a  boy  gave  him  a  pair  of  doves  which  he 
had  snared,  St.  Francis  had  a  nest  made  for  them,  and 
the  mother  bird  laid  her  eggs  in  it. 

By  and  by,  the  eggs  hatched,  and  a  nestful  of  young 
doves  grew  up.  They  were  so  tame  that  they  sat  on 
the  shoulders  of  St.  Francis  and  ate  from  his  hand. 

And  many  other  stories  are  told  of  this  man's  great 
love  and  pity  for  the  timid  creatures  which  lived  in  the 
fields  and  woods. 

One  day  as  he  was  walking  among  the  trees  the  birds 
saw  him  and  flew  down  to  greet  him.  They  sang  their 
sweetest  songs  to  show  how  much  they  loved  him. 
Then,  when  they  saw  that  he  was  about  to  speak,  they 
nestled  softly  in  the  grass  and  listened. 

"0  little  birds,"  he  said,  "I  love  you,  for  you  are 


120  St.  Francis 

my  brothers  and  sisters  of  the  air.  Let  me  tell  you 
something,  my  little  brothers,  my  little  sisters:  You 
ought  always  to  love  God  and  praise  Him. 

"For  think  what  He  has  given  you.  He  has  given 
you  wings  with  which  to  fly  through  the  air.  He  has 
given  you  clothing  both  warm  and  beautiful.  He  has 
given  you  the  air  in  which  to  move  and  have  homes. 

"And  think  of  this,  0  little  brothers:  you  sow  not, 
neither  do  you  reap,  for  God  feeds  you.  He  gives  you 
the  rivers  and  the  brooks  from  which  to  drink.  He 
gives  you  the  mountains  and  the  valleys  where  you  may 
rest.  He  gives  you  the  trees  in  which  to  build  your 
nests. 

"You  toil  not,  neither  do  you  spin,  yet  God  takes  care 
of  you  and  your  little  ones.  It  must  be,  then,  that  He 
loves  you.  So,  do  not  be  ungrateful,  but  sing  His 
praises  and  thank  Him  for  his  goodness  toward  you." 

Then  the  saint  stopped  speaking  and  looked  around 
him.  All  the  birds  sprang  up  joyfully.  They  spread 
their  wings  and  opened  their  mouths  to  show  that  they 
understood  his  words. 

And  when  he  had  blessed  them,  all  began  to  sing: 
and  the  whole  forest  was  filled  with  sweetness  and  joy 
because  of  their  wonderful  melodies. 


A  Clever  Slave  121 

A  CLEVER  SLAVE 

A  LONG  time  ago  there  lived  a  poor  slave  whose  name 
was  ^Esop.1  He  was  a  small  man  with  a  large  head  and 
long  arms.  His  face  was  white,  but  very  homely.  His 
large  eyes  were  bright  and  snappy. 

When  ^Esop  was  about  twenty  years  old  his  master 
lost  a  great  deal  of  money  and  was  obliged  to  sell  his 
slaves.  To  do  this,  he  had  to  take  them  to  a  large  city 
where  there  was  a  slave  market. 

The  city  was  far  away,  and  the  slaves  must  walk  the 
whole  distance.  A  number  of  bundles  were  made  up 
for  them  to  carry.  Some  of  these  bundles  contained 
the  things  they  would  need  on  the  road;  some  con 
tained  clothing;  and  some  contained  goods  which  the 
master  would  sell  in  the  city. 

"Choose  your  bundles,  boys/'  said  the  master. 
"There  is  one  for  each  of  you." 

J^sop  at  once  chose  the  largest  one.  The  other 
slaves  laughed  and  said  he  was  foolish.  But  he  threw 
it  upon  his  shoulders  and  seemed  well  satisfied. 

The  next  day,  the  laugh  was  the  other  way.  For  the 
bundle  which  he  had  chosen  had  contained  the  food 

(pro.  e'sop). 


122  .Esop 

for  the  whole  party.  After  all  had  eaten  three  meals 
from  it,  it  was  very  much  lighter.  And  before  the 
end  of  the  journey  ^Esop  had  nothing  to  carry,  while 
the  other  slaves  were  groaning  under  their  heavy  loads. 

'jEsop  is  a  wise  fellow,"  said  his  master.  "The  man 
who  buys  him  must  pay  a  high  price." 

A  very  rich  man,  whose  name  was  Xanthus,1  came  to 
the  slave  market  to  buy  a  servant.  As  the  slaves  stood 
before  him  he  asked  each  one  to  tell  what  kind  of  work 
he  could  do.  All  were  eager  to  be  bought  by  Xanthus 
because  they  knew  he  would  be  a  kind  master.  So 
each  one  boasted  of  his  skill  in  doing  some  sort  of  labor. 

One  was  a  fine  gardener ;  another  could  take  care  of 
horses ;  a  third  was  a  good  cook ;  a  fourth  could  man 
age  a  household. 

"And  what  can  you  do,  ^sop?"  asked  Xanthus. 

"Nothing,"  he  answered. 

"Nothing?    How  is  that?" 

"Because,  since  these  other  slaves  do  everything, 
there  is  nothing  left  for  me  to  perform,"  said  Msop. 

This  answer  pleased  the  rich  man  so  well  that  he 
bought  ^]sop  at  once,  and  took  him  to  his  home  on  the 
island  of  Samos. 

1  Xanthus  (pro.  zan'thus). 


A  Clever  Slave  123 

In  Samos  the  little  slave  soon  became  known  for  his 
wisdom  and  courage.  He  often  amused  his  master  and 
his  master's  friends  by  telling  droll  fables  about  birds 
and  beasts  that  could  talk.  They  saw  that  all  these 
fables  taught  some  great  truth,  and  they  wondered  how 
Msop  could  have  thought  of  them. 

Many  other  stories  are  told  of  this  wonderful  slave. 
His  master  was  so  much  pleased  with  him  that  he  gave 
him  his  freedom.  Many  great  men  were  glad  to  call 
him  their  friend,  and  even  kings  asked  his  advice  and 
were  amused  by  his  fables. 

ONE  OF  ^SOP'S  FABLES 

AN  old  Cat  was  in  a  fair  way  to  kill  all  the  Mice  in  the  barn. 

One  day  the  Mice  met  to  talk  about  the  great  harm  that 
she  was  doing  them.  Each  one  told  of  some  plan  by  which 
to  keep  out  of  her  way. 

"Do  as  I  say,"  said  an  old  gray  Mouse  that  was  thought 
to  be  very  wise.  "Do  as  I  say.  Hang  a  bell  to  the  Cat's 
neck.  Then,  when  we  hear  it  ring,  we  shall  know  that  she 
is  coming,  and  can  scamper  out  of  her  way." 

"Good!  good!"  said  all  the  other  Mice;  and  one  ran  to 
get  the  bell. 

"Now  which  of  you  will  hang  this  bell  on  the  Cat's  neck?" 
said  the  old  gray  Mouse. 

"Not  I!  not  I!"  said  all  the  Mice  together.  And  they 
scampered  away  to  their  holes. 


124  Abraham  Davenport 


THE   DARK  DAY 

LISTEN,  and  I  will  tell  you  of  the  famous  dark  day  in 
Connecticut.  It  was  in  the  month  of  May,  more  than 
a  hundred  years  ago. 

The  sun  rose  bright  and  fair,  and  the  morning  was 
without  a  cloud.  The  air  was  very  still.  There  was  not 
a  breath  of  wind  to  stir  the  young  leaves  on  the  trees. 

Then,  about  the  middle  of  the  day,  it  began  to  grow 
dark.  The  sun  was  hidden.  A  black  cloud  seemed  to 
cover  the  earth. 

The  birds  flew  to  their  nests.  The  chickens  went  to 
roost.  The  cows  came  home  from  the  pasture  and 
stood  mooing  at  the  gate.  It  grew  so  dark  that  the 
people  could  not  see  their  way  along  the  streets. 

Then  everybody  began  to  feel  frightened.  "What 
is  the  matter?  What  is  going  to  happen?"  each  one 
asked  of  another.  The  children  cried.  The  dogs  howled. 
The  women  wept,  and  some  of  the  men  prayed. 

"The  end  of  the  world  has  come  !"  cried  some;  and 
they  ran  about  in  the  darkness. 

"This  is  the  last  great  day!"  cried  others;  and 
they  knelt  down  and  waited. 


The  Dark  Day 


125 


In  the  old  statehouse,  the  wise  men  of  Connecticut 
were  sitting.  They  were  men  who  made  the  laws,  and 
much  depended  upon  their  wisdom. 


When  the  darkness  came,   they  too  began  to  be 
alarmed.    The  gloom  was  terrible. 


126  Abraham  Davenport 

"It  is  the  day  of  the  Lord/'  said  one. 

"No  use  to  make  laws,"  said  another,  "for  they  will 
never  be  needed." 

"I  move  that  we  adjourn/'  said  a  third. 

Then  up  from  his  seat  rose  Abraham  Davenport. 
His  voice  was  clear  and  strong,  and  all  knew  that  he,  at 
least,  was  not  afraid. 

"  This  may  be  the  last  great  day/'  he  said.  "  I  do  not 
know  whether  the  end  of  the  world  has  come  or  not. 
But  I  am  sure  that  it  is  my  duty  to  stand  at  my  post 
as  long  as  I  live.  So,  let  us  go  on  with  the  work  that  is 
before  us.  Let  the  candles  be  lighted." 

His  words  put  courage  into  every  heart.  The  candles 
were  brought  in.  Then  with  his  strong  face  aglow  in 
their  feeble  light,  he  made  a  speech  in  favor  of  a  law  to 
help  poor  fishermen. 

And  as  he  spoke,  the  other  lawmakers  listened  in 
silence  till  the  darkness  began  to  fade  and  the  sky  grew 
bright  again. 

The  people  of  Connecticut  still  remember  Abraham 
Davenport,  because  he  was  a  wise  judge  and  a  brave 
lawmaker.  The  poet  Whittier  has  written  a  poem 
about  him,  which  you  will  like  to  hear. 


The  Surly  Guest  127 

THE  SURLY  GUEST 

ONE  day  John  Randolph,  of  Roanoke,1  set  out  on 
horseback  to  ride  to  a  town  that  was  many  miles  from 
his  home.  The  road  was  strange  to  him,  and  he  traveled 
very  slowly. 

When  night  came  on  he  stopped  at  a  pleasant  road 
side  inn  and  asked  for  lodging.  The  innkeeper  wel 
comed  him  kindly.  He  had  often  heard  of  the  great 
John  Randolph,  and  therefore  he  did  all  that  he  could  to 
entertain  him  well. 

A  fine  supper  was  prepared,  and  the  innkeeper  him 
self  waited  upon  his  guest.  John  Randolph  ate  in 
silence.  The  innkeeper  spoke  of  the  weather,  of  the 
roads,  of  the  crops,  of  politics.  But  his  surly  guest  said 
scarcely  a  word. 

In  the  morning  a  good  breakfast  was  served,  and  then 
Mr.  Randolph  made  ready  to  start  on  his  journey.  He 
called  for  his  bill  and  paid  it.  His  horse  was  led  to  the 
door,  and  a  servant  helped  him  to  mount  it. 

As  he  was  starting  away,  the  friendly  innkeeper  said, 
" Which  way  will  you  travel,  Mr.  Randolph?" 

Mr.  Randolph  looked  at  him  in  no  gentle  way,  and 
answered,  "Sir!" 

1  Ro'a  noke. 


128  John  Randolph 

"I  only  asked  which  way  you  intend  to  travel/'  said 
the  man. 

"Oh  !  have  I  paid  you  my  bill ?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Do  I  owe  you  anything  more?" 

"No,  sir/' 

"Then,  I  intend  to  travel  the  way  I  wish  to  go  — 
do  you  understand  ?" 

He  turned  his  horse  and  rode  away.  He  had  not  gone 
farther  than  to  the  end  of  the  innkeeper's  field,  when 
to  his  surprise  he  found  that  the  road  forked.  He  did 
not  know  whether  he  should  take  the  right-hand  fork 
or  the  left-hand. 

He  paused  for  a  while.  There  was  no  signboard 
to  help  him.  He  looked  back  and  saw  the  innkeeper 
still  standing  by  the  door.  He  called  to  him :  — 

"My  friend,  which  of  these  roads  shall  I  travel  to  go 
to  Lynchburg?" 

"Mr.  Randolph,"  answered  the  innkeeper,  "you 
have  paid  your  bill  and  don't  owe  me  a  cent.  Travel 
the  way  you  wish  to  go.  Good-by!" 

As  bad  luck  would  have  it,  Mr.  Randolph  took  the 
wrong  road.  He  went  far  out  of  his  way  and  lost 
much  time,  all  on  account  of  his  surliness. 


The  Surly  Guest 


129 


John  Randolph,  of  Roanoke,  lived  in  Virginia  one 
hundred  years  ago.  He  was  famous  as  a  lawyer  and 
statesman.  He  was  a  member  of  Congress  for  many 
years,  and  was  noted  for  his  odd  manners  and  strong 
self-will. 

FIFTY    FAMOUS   PEOPLE 9 


130  Alexander  Selkirk 

THE  STORY  OF  A  GREAT  STORY 

Two  hundred  years  ago  there  lived  in  Scotland  a 
young  man  whose  name  was  Alexander  Selkirk.  He 
was  quarrelsome  and  unruly.  He  was  often  making 
trouble  among  his  neighbors. 

For  this  reason  many  people  were  glad  when  he  ran 
away  from  home  and  went  to  sea.  "We  hope  that  he 
will  get  what  he  deserves/'  they  said. 

He  was  big  and  strong  and  soon  became  a  fine  sailor. 
But  he  was  still  headstrong  and  ill-tempered ;  and  he 
was  often  in  trouble  with  the  other  sailors. 

Once  his  ship  was  sailing  in  the  great  Pacific  Ocean. 
It  was  four  hundred  miles  from  the  coast  of  South 
America.  Then  something  happened  which  Selkirk  did 
not  like.  He  became  very  disagreeable.  He  quarreled 
with  the  other  sailors,  and  even  with  the  captain. 

"I  would  rather  live  alone  on  a  desert  island  than 
be  a  sailor  on  this  ship,"  he  said. 

"Very  well/'  answered  the  captain.  "We  shall  put 
you  ashore  on  the  first  island  that  we  see." 

"Do  so/'  said  Selkirk.  "You  cannot  please  me 
better." 

The  very  next  day  they  came  in  sight  of  a  little  green 


The  Story  of  a  Great  Story     131 

island.  There  were  groves  of  trees 
near  the  shore,  and  high  hills  be 
yond  them. 

"What  is  the  name  of  this  is 
land?"  asked  Selkirk. 

"Juan  Fernandez/' 1 
said  the  captain. 

"Set   me  on  shore 
and  leave  me  there. 


Juan  Fernandez  (pro.  joo'an  fer  nan'dgz). 


132  Alexander  Selkirk 

Give  me  a  few  common  tools  and  some  food,  and  I 
will  do  well  enough,"  said  the  sailor. 

"It  shall  be  done/'  answered  the  captain. 

So  they  filled  a  small  boat  with  the  things  that  he 
would  need  the  most  —  an  ax,  a  hoe,  a  kettle,  and 
some  other  things.  They  also  put  in  some  bread  and 
meat  and  other  food,  enough  for  several  weeks. 

Then  four  of  the  sailors  rowed  him  to  the  shore  and 
left  him  there. 

Alexander  Selkirk  was  all  alone  on  the  island.  He 
began  to  see  how  foolish  he  had  been ;  he  thought  how 
terrible  it  would  be  to  live  there  without  one  friend, 
"without  one  person  to  whom  he  could  speak. 

He  called  loudly  to  the  sailors  and  to  the  captain. 
"Oh,  do  not  leave  me  here.  Take  me  back,  and  I  will 
give  you  no  more  trouble." 

But  they  would  not  listen  to  him.  The  ship  sailed 
away  and  was  soon  lost  to  sight. 

Then  Selkirk  set  to  work  to  make  the  best  of  things. 
He  built  him  a  little  hut  for  shelter  at  night  and  in 
stormy  weather.  He  planted  a  small  garden. 

There  were  pigs  and  goats  on  the  island,  and  plenty  of 
fish  could  be  caught  from  the  shore.  So  there  was 
always  plenty  of  food. 


The  Story  of  a  Great  Story     133 

Sometimes  Selkirk  saw  ships  sailing  in  the  distance. 
He  tried  to  make  signals  to  them ;  he  called  as  loudly 
as  he  could ;  but  he  was  neither  seen  nor  heard,  and  the 
ships  came  no  nearer. 

"If  I  ever  have  the  good  fortune  to  escape  from  this 
island/'  he  said,  "I  will  be  kind  and  obliging  to  every 
one.  I  will  try  to  make  friends  instead  of  enemies." 

For  four  years  and  four  months  he  lived  alone  on  the 
island.  Then,  to  his  great  joy,  a  ship  came  near  and 
anchored  in  the  little  harbor. 

He  made  himself  known,  and  the  captain  willingly 
agreed  to  carry  him  back  to  his  own  country.  When 
he  reached  Scotland  everybody  was  eager  to  hear  him 
tell  of  his  adventures,  and  he  soon  found  himself  famous. 

In  England  there  was  then  living  a  man  whose  name 
was  Daniel  Defoe.1  He  was  a  writer  of  books.  He 
had  written  many  stories  which  people  at  that  time 
liked  to  read. 

When  Daniel  Defoe  heard  how  Selkirk  had  lived 
alone  on  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez,  he  said  to  him 
self:  "Here  is  something  worth  telling  about.  The 
story  of  Alexander  Selkirk  is  very  pleasing." 

i  De  foe'. 


134  Alexander  Selkirk 

So  he  sat  down  and  wrote  a  wonderful  story,  which  he 
called  "The  Adventures  of  Robinson  Crusoe." 

Every  boy  has  heard  of  Robinson  Crusoe.  Many 
boys  and  indeed  many  girls  have  read  his  story. 

When  only  a  child  he  liked  to  stand  by  the  river  and 
see  the  ships  sailing  past.  He  wondered  where  they 
had  come  from  and  where  they  were  going. 

He  talked  with  some  of  the  sailors.  They  told  him 
about  the  strange  lands  they  had  visited  far  over  the 
sea.  They  told  him  about  the  wonderful  things  they 
had  seen  there.  He  was  delighted. 

"Oh,  I  wish  I  could  be  a  sailor !"  he  said. 

He  could  not  think  of  anything  else.  He  thought  how 
grand  it  would  be  to  sail  and  sail  on  the  wide  blue  sea. 
He  thought  how  pleasant  it  would  be  to  visit -strange 
countries  and  see  strange  peoples. 

As  he  grew  up,  his  father  wished  him  to  learn  a  trade. 

"No,  no,  I  am  going  to  be  a  sailor ;  I  am  going  to  see 
the  world,"  he  said. 

His  mother  said  to  him:  "A  sailor's  life  is  a  hard 
life.  There  are  great  storms  on  the  sea.  Many  ships 
are  wrecked  and  the  sailors  are  drowned." 

"I  am  not  afraid,"  said  Robinson  Crusoe.  "I  am 
going  to  be  a  sailor  and  nothing  else." 


The  Story  of  a  Great  Story     135 

So,  when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  he  ran  away  from 
his  pleasant  home  and  went  to  sea. 

He  soon  found  that  his  mother's  words  were  true. 
A  sailor's  life  is  indeed  a  hard  life.  There  is  no  time  to 
play.  Every  day  there  is  much  work  to  be  done. 
Sometimes  there  is  great  danger. 

Robinson  Crusoe  sailed  first  on  one  ship  and  then 
on  another.  He  visited  many  lands  and  saw  many 
wonderful  things. 

One  day  there  was  a  great  storm.  The  ship  was 
driven  about  by  the  winds ;  it  was  wrecked.  All  the 
sailors  were  drowned  but  Robinson  Crusoe. 

He  swam  to  an  island  that  was  not  far  away.  It 
was  a  small  island,  and  there  was  no  one  living  on  it. 
But  there  were  birds  in  the  woods  and  some  wild  goats 
on  the  hills. 

For  a  long  time  Robinson  Crusoe  was  all  alone.  He 
had  only  a  dog  and  some  cats  to  keep  him  company. 
Then  he  tamed  a  parrot  and  some  goats. 

He  built  a  house  of  some  sticks  and  vines.  He 
sowed  grain  and  baked  bread.  He  made  a  boat  for 
himself.  He  did  a  great  many  things.  He  was  busy 
every  day. 

At  last  a  ship  happened  to  pass  that  way  and  Robin- 


136  Frederick  the  Great 

son  was  taken  on  board.     He  was  glad  to  go  back  to 
England  to  see  his  home  and  his  friends  once  more. 

This  is  the  story  which  Mr.  Defoe  wrote.  Perhaps 
he  would  not  have  thought  of  it,  had  he  not  first  heard 
the  true  story  of  Alexander  Selkirk. 


THE  KING  AND  THE  PAGE 

MANY  years  ago  there  was  a  king  of  Prussia,  whose 
name  was  Frederick ;  and  because  he  was  very  wise 
and  very  brave,  people  called  him  Frederick  the  Great. 
Like  other  kings,  he  lived  in  a  beautiful  palace  and  had 
many  officers  and  servants  to  wait  upon  him. 

Among  the  servants  there  was  a  little  page  whose 
name  was  Carl.  It  was  Carl's  duty  to  sit  outside  of  the 
king's  bedroom  and  be  ready  to  serve  him  at  any  time. 

One  night  the  king  sat  up  very  late,  writing  letters 
and  sending  messages;  and  the  little  page  was  kept 
busy  running  on  errands  until  past  midnight. 

The  next  morning  the  king  wished  to  send  him  on 
another  errand.  He  rang  the  little  bell  which  was 
used  to  call  the  page,  but  no  page  answered. 

"I  wonder  what  can  have  happened  to  the  boy/'  he 
said ;  and  he  opened  the  door  and  looked  out. 


The  King  and  the  Page        137 

There,  sitting  in  his  chair,  was  Carl,  fast  asleep. 
The  poor  child  was  so  tired  after  his  night's  work  that 
he  could  not  keep  awake. 

The  king  was  about  to  waken  him  roughly,  when  he 
saw  a  piece  of  paper  on  the  floor  beside  him.  He 
picked  it  up  and  read  it. 

It  was  a  letter  from  the  page's  mother :  — 

Dearest  Carl:  You  are  a  good  boy  to  send  me  all  your 
wages,  for  now  I  can  pay  the  rent  and  buy  some  warm 
clothing  for  your  little  sister.  I  thank  you  for  it,  and  pray 
that  God  will  bless  you.  Be  faithful  to  the  king  and  do 
your  duty. 

The  king  went  back  to  the  room  on  tiptoe.  He  took 
ten  gold  pieces  from  his  table  and  wrapped  them  in  the 
little  letter.  Then  he  went  out  again,  very  quietly, 
and  slipped  them  all  into  the  boy's  pocket. 

After  a  while  he  rang  the  bell  again,  very  loudly. 

Carl  awoke  with  a  start,  and  came  quickly  to  answer 
the  call. 

"I  think  you  have  been  asleep,"  said  the  king. 

The  boy  stammered  and  did  not  know  what  to  say. 
He  was  frightened  and  ready  to  cry. 

He  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket,  and  was  surprised  to 
find  the  gold  pieces  wrapped  in  his  mother's  letter. 


138  Robert  Bruce 

Then  his  eyes  overflowed  with  tears,  and  he  fell  on  his 
knees  before  the  king. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Frederick. 

"Oh,  your  Majesty  !  "  cried  Carl.  "Have  mercy  on 
me.  It  is  true  that  I  have  been  asleep,  but  I  know 
nothing  about  this  money.  Some  one  is  trying  to 


ruin  me." 


"Have  courage,  my  boy,"  said  the  king.  "I  know 
how  you  must  have  been  overwearied  with  long  hours 
of  watching.  And  people  say  that  fortune  comes  to  us 
in  our  sleep.  You  may  send  the  gold  pieces  to  your 
mother  with  my  compliments ;  and  tell  her  that  the  king 
will  take  care  of  both  her  and  you." 


THE  HUNTED  KING 

WHAT  boy  or  girl  has  not  heard  the  story  of  King 
Robert  Bruce  and  the  spider  ?  I  will  tell  you  another 
story  of  the  same  brave  and  famous  king. 

He  had  fought  a  battle  with  his  enemies,  the  English. 
His  little  army  had  been  beaten  and  scattered.  Many 
of  his  best  friends  had  been  killed  or  captured.  The 
king  himself  was  obliged  to  hide  in  the  wild  woods  while 
his  foes  hunted  for  him  with  hounds. 


The  Hunted  King  139 

For  many  days  he  wandered  through  rough  and 
dangerous  places.  He  waded  rivers  and  climbed  moun 
tains.  Sometimes  two  or  three  faithful  friends  were 
with  him.  Sometimes  he  was  alone.  Sometimes  his 
enemies  were  very  close  upon  him. 

Late  one  evening  he  came  to  a  little  farmhouse  in  a 
lonely  valley.  He  walked  in  without  knocking.  A 
woman  was  sitting  alone  by  the  fire. 

"May  a  poor  traveler  find  rest  and  shelter  here  for 
the  night?  "he  asked. 

The  woman  answered,  "All  travelers  are  welcome 
for  the  sake  of  one ;  and  you  are  welcome."  • 

"Who  is  that  one?"  asked  the  king. 

"That  is  Robert  the  Bruce,"  said  the  woman.  "He 
is  the  rightful  lord  of  this  country.  He  is  now  being 
hunted  with  hounds,  but  I  hope  soon  to  see  him  king 
over  all  Scotland." 

"Since  you  love  him  so  well,"  said  the  king,  "I  will 
tell  you  something.  I  am  Robert  the  Bruce." 

"You!"  cried  the  woman  in  great  surprise.  "Are 
you  the  Bruce,  and  are  you  all  alone?" 

"My  men  have  been  scattered,"  said  the  king,  "and 
therefore  there  is  no  one  with  me." 

"  That  is  not  right,"  said  the  brave  woman.    "  I  have 


140 


Robert  Bruce 


two  sons  who  are  gallant  and  trusty.     They  shall  go 
with  you  and  serve  you." 

So  she  called  her  two  sons.     They  were  tall  and 
strong  young  men,  and  they 
gladly  promised  to  go  with  the 
king  and  help  him. 

The  king  sat  down  by  the 
fire,  and  the 
woman    hur- 


ried  to  get  things  ready  for  supper.  The  two  young 
men  got  down  their  bows  and  arrows,  and  all  were  busy 
making  plans  for  the  next  day. 

Suddenly  a  great  noise  was  heard  outside.    They 


The  Hunted  King  141 

listened.  They  heard  the  tramping  of  horses  and  the 
voices  of  a  number  of  men. 

"The  English  !    the  English  !"  said  the  young  men. 

"Be  brave,  and  defend  your  king  with  your  lives," 
said  their  mother. 

Then  some  one  outside  called  loudly,  "Have  you  seen 
King  Robert  the  Bruce  pass  this  way?" 

"That  is  my  brother  Edward's  voice,"  said  the  king. 
"These  are  friends,  not  enemies." 

The  door  was  thrown  open  and  he  saw  a  hundred 
brave  men,  all  ready  to  give  him  aid.  He  forgot  his 
hunger;  he  forgot  his  weariness.  He  began  to  ask 
about  his  enemies  who  had  been  hunting  him. 

"I  saw  two  hundred  of  them  in  the  village  below  us," 
said  one  of  his  officers.  "They  are  resting  there  for  the 
night  and  have  no  fear  of  danger  from  us.  If  you 
have  a  mind  to  make  haste,  we  may  surprise  them." 

"Then  let  us  mount  and  ride,"  said  the  king. 

The  next  minute  they  were  off.  They  rushed  sud 
denly  into  the  village.  They  routed  the  king's  enemies 
and  scattered  them. 

And  Robert  the  Bruce  was  never  again  obliged  to  hide 
in  the  woods  or  to  run  from  savage  hounds.  Soon  he 
became  the  real  king  and  ruler  of  all  Scotland. 


142  Tamerlane 

"TRY,  TRY  AGAIN  I" 

THERE  was  once  a  famous  ruler  of  Tartary  whose 
name  was  Tamerlane.  Like  Alexander  the  Great,  he 
wished  to  become  the  master  of  the  whole  world. 

So  he  raised  a  great  army  and  made  war  against 
other  countries.  He  conquered  many  kings  and  burned 
many  cities. 

But  at  last  his  army  was  beaten ;  his  men  were  scat 
tered  ;  and  Tamerlane  fled  alone  from  the  field  of  battle. 

For  a  long  time  he  wandered  in  fear  from  place  to 
place.  His  foes  were  looking  for  him.  He  was  in 
despair.  He  was  about  to  lose  all  hope. 

One  day  he  was  lying  under  a  tree,  thinking  of  his 
misfortunes.  He  had  now  been  a  wanderer  for  twenty 
days.  He  could  not  hold  out  much  longer. 

Suddenly  he  saw  a  small  object  creeping  up  the  trunk 
of  the  tree.  He  looked  more  closely  and  saw  that  it 
was  an  ant.  The  ant  was  carrying  a  grain  of  wheat 
as  large  as  itself. 

As  Tamerlane  looked,  he  saw  that  there  was  a  hole 
in  the  tree  only  a  little  way  above,  and  that  this  was 
the  home  of  the  ant.  "You  are  a  brave  fellow,  Mr. 
Ant/'  he  said ;  "but  you  have  a  heavy  load  to  carry." 


Why  He  Carried  the  Turkey    143 

Just  as  he  spoke,  the  ant  lost  its  footing  and  fell  to  the 
ground.  But  it  still  held  on  to  the  grain  of  wheat. 

A  second  time  it  tried  to  carry  its  load  up  the  rough 
trunk  of  the  tree,  and  a  second  time  it  failed. 

Tamerlane  watched  the  brave  little  insect.    It  tried 
three  times,  four  times,  a  dozen  times,  twenty  times  - 
but  always  with  the  same  result. 

Then  it  tried  the  twenty-first  time.  Slowly,  one  little 
step  at  a  time,  it  crept  up  across  the  rough  place 
where  it  had  slipped  and  fallen  so  often.  The  next  min 
ute  it  ran  safely  into  its  home,  carrying  its  precious  load. 

"Well  done!"  said  Tamerlane.  "You  have  taught 
me  a  lesson.  I,  too,  will  try,  try  again,  till  I  succeed." 

And  this  he  did. 

Of  what  other  story  does  this  remind  you  ? 


WHY  HE  CARRIED  THE  TURKEY 
IN  Richmond,  Virginia,  one  Saturday  morning,  an 
old  man  went  into  the  market  to  buy  something.     He 
was  dressed  plainly,  his  coat  was  worn,  and  his  hat 
was  dingy.     On  his  arm  he  carried  a  small  basket. 
"I  wish  to  get  a  fowl  for  to-morrow's  dinner,"  he 
said. 


144  John  Marshall 

The  market  man  showed  him  a  fat  turkey,  plump 
and  white  and  ready  for  roasting. 

"Ah !  that  is  just  what  I  want/'  said  the  old  man. 
"My  wife  will  be  delighted  with  it." 

He  asked  the  price  and  paid  for  it.  The  market  man 
wrapped  a  paper  round  it  and  put  it  in  the  basket. 

Just  then  a  young  man  stepped  up.  "I  will  take  one 
of  those  turkeys/'  he  said.  He  was  dressed  in  fine  style 
and  carried  a  small  cane. 

"Shall  I  wrap  it  up  for  you  ?"  asked  the  market  man. 

"  Yes,  here  is  your  money/'  answered  the  young  gentle 
man;  "and  send  it  to  my  house  at  once." 

"I  cannot  do  that,"  said  the  market  man.  "My 
errand  boy  is  sick  to-day,  and  there  is  no  one  else  to 
send.  Besides,  it  is  not  our  custom  to  deliver  goods." 

"Then  how  am  I  to  get  it  home?"  asked  the  young 
gentleman. 

"I  suppose  you  will  have  to  carry  it  yourself,"  said 
the  market  man.  "It  is  not  heavy." 

"  Carry  it  myself !  Who  do  you  think  I  am  ?  Fancy 
me  carrying  a  turkey  along  the  street !"  said  the  young 
gentleman ;  and  he  began  to  grow  very  angry. 

The  old  man  who  had  bought  the  first  turkey  was 
standing  quite  near.  He  had  heard  all  that  was  said. 


Why  He  Carried  the  Turkey     145 

"Excuse  me,  sir,"  he  said;  "but  may  I  ask  where 
you  live?" 

"I  live  at  Number  39,  Blank  Street,"  answered  the 
young  gentleman;  "and  my  name  is  Johnson." 

"Well,  that  is  lucky,"  said  the  old  man,  smiling.  "I 
happen  to  be  going  that  way,  and  I  will  carry  your 
turkey,  if  you  will  allow  me." 

"Oh,  certainly!"  said  Mr.  Johnson.  "Here  it  is. 
You  may  follow  me." 

When  they  reached  Mr.  Johnson's  house,  the  old  man 
politely  handed  him  the  turkey  and  turned  to  go. 

"Here,  my  friend,  what  shall  I  pay  you?"  said  the 
young  gentleman. 

"Oh,  nothing,  sir,  nothing,"  answered  the  old  man. 
"It  was  no  trouble  to  me,  and  you  are  welcome." 

He  bowed  and  went  on.  Young  Mr.  Johnson  looked 
after  him  and  wondered.  Then  he  turned  and  walked 
briskly  back  to  the  market. 

"Who  is  that  polite  old  gentleman  who  carried  my 
turkey  for  me?"  he  asked  of  the  market  man. 

"That  is  John  Marshall,  Chief  Justice  of  the  United 
States.  He  is  one  of  the  greatest  men  in  our  country," 
was  the  answer. 

The  young  gentleman  was  surprised  and  ashamed. 

FIFTY   FAMOUS   PEOPLE 10 


146  Robert  Fulton 

"Why  did  he  offer  to  carry  my  turkey?"  he 
asked. 

"He  wished  to  teach  you  a  lesson/'  answered  the 
market  man. 

"What  sort  of  lesson?" 

"He  wished  to  teach  you  that  no  man  should  feel 
himself  too  fine  to  carry  his  own  packages." 

"Oh,  no!"  said  another  man  who  had  seen  and 
heard  it  all.  "Judge  Marshall  carried  the  turkey 
simply  because  he  wished  to  be  kind  and  obliging. 
That  is  his  way." 


THE   PADDLE-WHEEL   BOAT 

MORE  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  two  boys  were  fish 
ing  in  a  small  river.  They  sat  in  a  heavy  flat-bottomed 
boat,  each  holding  a  long,  crooked  rod  in  his  hands  and 
eagerly  waiting  for  "a  bite." 

When  they  wanted  to  move  the  boat  from  one  place 
to  another  they  had  to  pole  it ;  that  is,  they  pushed 
against  a  long  pole,  the  lower  end  of  which  reached  the 
bottom  of  the  stream. 

"This  is  slow  work,  Robert,"  said  the  older  of  the 
boys  as  they  were  poling  up  the  river  to  a  new  fishing 


The  Paddle-wheel  Boat         147 

place.  "The  old  boat  creeps  over  the  water  no  faster 
than  a  snail." 

"Yes,  Christopher;  and  it  is  hard  work,  too,"  an 
swered  Robert.  "  I  think  there  ought  to  be  some  better 
way  of  moving  a  boat." 

"Yes,  there  is  a  better  way,  and  that  is  by  rowing," 
said  Christopher.  "But  we  have  no  oars." 

"Well,  I  can  make  some  oars,"  said  Robert;  "but 
I  think  there  ought  to  be  still  another  and  a  better 
way.  I  am  going  to  'find  such  a  way  if  I  can." 

The  next  day  Robert's  aunt  heard  a  great  pounding 
and  sawing  in  her  "woodshed.  The  two  boys  were  there, 
busily  working  with  hammer  and  saw. 

"What  are  you  making,  Robert?"  she  asked. 

"Oh,  I  have  a  plan  for  making  a  boat  move  without 
poling  it  or  rowing  it,"  he  answered. 

His  aunt  laughed  and  said,  "Well,  I  hope  that  you 
will  succeed." 

After  a  great  deal  of  tinkering  and  trying,  they  did 
succeed  in  making  two  paddle  wheels.  They  were  very 
rough  and  crude,  but  strong  and  serviceable. 

They  fastened  each  of  these  wheels  to  the  end  of  an 
iron  rod  which  they  passed  through  the  boat  from  side 
to  side.  The  rod  was  bent  in  the  middle  so  that  it 


148 


Robert  Fulton 


could  be  turned  as  with  a  crank.  When  the  work  was 
finished,  the  old  fishing  boat  looked  rather  odd,  with  a 
paddle  wheel  on  each  side  which  dipped  just  a  few  inches 
into  the  water. 

The  boys  lost  no 
time  in  trying  it. 


"She  goes  ahead  all 
right,"    said    Christo 
pher,  "but  how  shall  we  guide 
her?" 

"Oh,  I  have  thought  of  that,"  said 
Robert.  He  took  something  like  an  oarlock  from  his 
pocket  and  fastened  it  to  the  stern  of  the  boat ;  then 


The  Paddle-wheel  Boat         149 

with  a  paddle  which  worked  in  this  oarlock  one  of  the 
boys  could  guide  the  boat  while  the  other  turned  the 
paddle  wheels. 

"It  is  better  than  poling  the  boat,"  said  Christopher. 

"It  is  better  than  rowing,  too/'  said  Robert.  "See 
how  fast  she  goes  !" 

That  night  when  Christopher  went  home  he  had  a 
wonderful  story  to  tell.  "Bob  Fulton  planned  the 
whole  thing, "  he  said,  "  and  I  helped  him  make  the 
paddles  and  put  them  on  the  boat." 

"I  wonder  why  we  didn't  think  of  something  like 
that  long  ago/'  said  his  father.  "Almost  anybody 
could  rig  up  an  old  boat  like  that." 

"Yes,  I  wonder,  too,"  said  Christopher.  "It  looks 
easy  enough,  now  that  Bob  has  shown  how  it  is 
done." 

When  Robert  Fulton  became  a  man,  he  did  not  forget 
his  experiment  with  the  old  fishing  boat.  He  kept  on, 
planning  and  thinking  and  working,  until  at  last  he 
succeeded  in  making  a  boat  with  paddle  wheels  that 
could  be  run  by  steam. 

He  is  now  remembered  and  honored  as  the  inventor 
of  the  steamboat.  He  became  famous  because  he  was 
always  thinking  and  studying  and  working. 


150         Al  Mansour  of  Cordova 

THE    CALIPH   AND    THE    GARDENER 

THERE  was  once  a  caliph  of  Cordova  whose  name 
was  Al  Mansour.  One  day  a  strange  merchant  came 
to  him  with  some  diamonds  and  pearls  which  he  had 
brought  from  beyond  the  sea.  The  caliph  was  so  well 
pleased  with  these  jewels  that  he  bought  them  and  paid 
the  merchant  a  large  sum  of  money. 

The  merchant  put  the  gold  in  a  bag  of  purple  silk 
which  he  tied  to  his  belt  underneath  his  long  cloak. 
Then  he  set  out  on  foot  to  walk  to  another  city. 

It  was  midsummer,  and  the  day  was  very  hot.  As 
the  merchant  was  walking  along,  he  came  to  a  river 
that  flowed  gently  between  green  and  shady  banks. 

He  was  hot  and  covered  with  dust.  No  one  was 
near.  Very  few  people  ever  came  that  way.  Why 
should  he  not  cool  himself  in  the  refreshing  water? 

He  took  off  his  clothes  and  laid  them  on  the  bank. 
He  put  the  bag  of  money  on  top  of  them  and  then 
leaped  into  the  water.  How  cool  and  delicious  it  was ! 

Suddenly  he  heard  a  rustling  noise  behind  him.  He 
turned  quickly  and  saw  an  eagle  rising  into  the  air  with 
his  moneybag  in  its  claws.  No  doubt  the  bird  had 
mistaken  the  purple  silk  for  something  good  to  eat. 


The  Caliph  and  the  Gardener    151 

The  merchant  shouted.  He  jumped  out  of  the  water 
and  shouted  again.  But  it  was  no  use.  The  great  bird 
was  high  in  the  air  and  flying  towards  the  far-off  moun 
tains  with  all  his  money. 

The  poor  man  could  do  nothing  but  dress  himself 
and  go  sorrowing  on  his  way. 

A  year  passed  by  and  then  the  merchant  appeared 
once  more  before  Al  Mansour.  "  0  Caliph,"  he  said, 
"  here  are  a  few  jewels  which  I  had  reserved  as  a 
present  for  my  wife.  But  I  have  met  with  such  bad 
luck  that  I  am  forced  to  sell  them.  I  pray  that  you 
will  look  at  them  and  take  them  at  your  own  price." 

Al  Mansour  noticed  that  the  merchant  was  very 
sad  and  downcast.  "Why,  what  has  happened  to 
you  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Have  you  been  sick  ?  " 

Then  the  merchant  told  him  how  the  eagle  had  flown 
away  with  his  money. 

"Why  didn't  you  come  to  us  before?"  he  asked. 
"  We  might  have  done  something  to  help  you.  Toward 
what  place  was  the  eagle  flying  when  you  last  saw  it  ?" 

"It  was  flying  toward  the  Black  Mountains,"  an 
swered  the  merchant. 

The  next  morning  the  caliph  called  ten  of  his  officers 
before  him.  "Ride  at  once  to  the  Black  Mountains," 


152         Al  Mansour  of  Cordova 

he  said.  "Find  all  the  old  men  that  live  on  the  moun 
tains  or  in  the  flat  country  around,  and  command  them 
to  appear  before  me  one  week  from  to-day." 

The  officers  did  as  they  were  bidden.  On  the  day 
appointed,  forty  gray-bearded,  honest  old  men  stood 
before  the  caliph.  All  were  asked  the  same  question. 
"Do  you  know  of  any  person  who  was  once  poor 
but  who  has  lately  and  suddenly  become  well-to-do?" 

Most  of  the  old  men  answered  that  they  did  not  know 
of  any  such  person.  A  few  said  that  there  was  one  man 
in  their  neighborhood  who  seemed  to  have  had  some 
sort  of  good  luck. 

This  man  was  a  gardener.  A  year  ago  he  was  so  poor 
that  he  had  scarcely  clothes  for  his  back.  His  children 
were  crying  for  food.  But  lately  everything  had 
changed  for  him.  Both  he  and  his  family  dressed 
well ;  they  had  plenty  to  eat ;  he  had  even  bought  a 
horse  to  help  him  carry  his  produce  to  market. 

The  caliph  at  once  gave  orders  for  the  gardener  to 
be  brought  before  him  the  next  day.  He  also  ordered 
that  the  merchant  should  come  at  the  same  time. 

Before  noon  the  next  day  the  gardener  was  admitted 
to  the  palace.  As  soon  as  he  entered  the  hall  the  caliph 
went  to  meet  him.  "Good  friend/'  he  said,  "if  you 


The  Caliph  and  the  Gardener    153 


should  find  something  that  we  have  lost,  what  would 
you  do  with  it?" 

The  gardener  put  his  hand  under  his  cloak  and  drew 
out  the  very  bag  that  the  merchant  had  lost. 


154         Al  Mansour  of  Cordova 

"Here  it  is,  my  lord,"  he  said. 

At  sight  of  his  lost  treasure,  the  merchant  began  to 
dance  and  shout  for  joy. 

"Tell  us/'  said  Al  Mansour  to  the  gardener,  "tell  us 
how  you  came  to  find  that  bag." 

The  gardener  answered :  "A  year  ago,  as  I  was  spad 
ing  in  my  garden,  I  saw  something  fall  at  the  foot  of  a 
palm  tree.  I  ran  to  pick  it  up  and  was  surprised  to  find 
that  it  was  a  bag  full  of  bright  gold  pieces.  I  said  to 
myself,  'This  money  must  belong  to  our  master,  Al 
Mansour.  Some  large  bird  has  stolen  it  from  his 
palace/' 

"Well,  then,"  said  the  caliph,  "why  did  you  not 
return  it  to  us  at  once?" 

"It  was  this  way,"  said  the  gardener:  "I  looked  at 
the  gold  pieces,  and  then  thought  of  my  own  great  ne 
cessities.  My  wife  and  children  were  suffering  from  the 
want  of  food  and  clothing.  I  had  no  shoes  for  my  feet, 
no  coat  for  my  back.  So  I  said  to  myself,  'My  lord 
Al  Mansour  is  famous  for  his  kindness  to  the  poor.  He 
will  not  care/  So  I  took  ten  gold  pieces  from  the  many 
that  were  in  the  bag. 

"I  meant  only  to  borrow  them.  And  I  put  the  bag 
in  a  safe  place,  saying  that  as  soon  as  I  could  replace  the 


The  Caliph  and  the  Gardener    155 

ten  pieces,  I  would  return  all  to  my  lord  Al  Mansour. 
With  much  hard  labor  and  careful  management  I  have 
saved  only  five  little  silver  pieces.  But,  as  I  came  to 
your  palace  this  morning,  I  kept  saying  to  myself, 
'When  our  lord  Al  Mansour  learns  just  how  it  was  that 
I  borrowed  the  gold,  I  have  no  doubt  that  in  his  kind 
ness  of  heart  he  will  forgive  me  the  debt/  ' 

Great  was  the  caliph's  surprise  when  he  heard  the 
poor  man's  story.  He  took  the  bag  of  money  and 
handed  it  to  the  merchant. 

"Take  the  bag  and  count  the  money  that  is  in  it/' 
he  said.  "If  anything  is  lacking,  I  will  pay  it  to  you/' 

The  merchant  did  as  he  was  told.  "  There  is  nothing 
lacking,"  he  said,  "but  the  ten  pieces  he  has  told  you 
about ;  and  I  will  give  him  these  as  a  reward." 

"No,"  said  Al  Mansour,  "it  is  for  me  to  reward  the 
man  as  he  deserves." 

Saying  this,  he  ordered  that  ten  gold  pieces  be  given 
to  the  merchant  in  place  of  those  that  were  lacking. 
Then  he  rewarded  the  gardener  with  ten  more  pieces  for 
his  honesty. 

"Your  debt  is  paid.  Think  no  more  about  it,"  he 
said. 


156  Caedmon 

THE  COWHERD  WHO  BECAME  A  POET 

I 

IN  England  there  was  once  a  famous  abbey,  called 
Whitby.  It  was  so  close  to  the  sea  that  those  who 
lived  in  it  could  hear  the  waves  forever  beating  against 
the  shore.  The  land  around  it  was  rugged,  with  only 
a  few  fields  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  forest. 

In  those  far-off  days,  an  abbey  was  half  church,  half 
castle.  It  was  a  place  where  good  people,  and  timid, 
helpless  people  could  find  shelter  in  time  of  war.  There 
they  might  live  in  peace  and  safety  while  all  the  country 
round  was  overrun  by  rude  and  barbarous  men. 

One  cold  night  in  winter  the  serving  men  of  the  abbey 
were  gathered  in  the  great  kitchen.  They  were  sitting 
around  the  fire  and  trying  to  keep  themselves  warm. 

Out  of  doors  the  wind  was  blowing.  The  men  heard 
it  as  it  whistled  through  the  trees  and  rattled  the  doors 
of  the  abbey.  They  drew  up  closer  to  the  fire  and 
felt  thankful  that  they  were  safe  from  the  raging 
storm. 

"Who  will  sing  us  a  song?"  said  the  master  wood 
man  as  he  threw  a  fresh  log  upon  the  fire. 

"Yes,  a  song !  a  song !"  shouted  some  of  the  others. 


The  Cowherd  Who  Became  a  Poet    157 

"Let  us  have  a  good  old  song  that  will  help  to  keep  us 
warm." 

"We  can  all  be  minstrels  to-night/ '  said  the  chief 
cook.  "Suppose  we  each  sing  a  song  in  turn.  What 
say  you?" 

"Agreed!  agreed!"  cried  the  others.  "And  the 
cook  shall  begin." 

The  woodman  stirred  the  fire  until  the  flames  leaped 
high  and  the  sparks  flew  out  of  the  roof  hole.  Then 
the  chief  cook  began  his  song.  He  sang  of  war,  and  of 
bold  rough  deeds,  and  of  love  and  sorrow. 

After  him  the  other  men  were  called,  one  by  one; 
and  each  in  turn  sang  his  favorite  song.  The  wood 
man  sang  of  the  wild  forest ;  the  plowman  sang  of  the 
fields ;  the  shepherd  sang  of  his  sheep  ;  and  those  who 
listened  forgot  about  the  storm  and  the  cold  weather. 

But  in  the  corner,  almost  hidden  from  his  fellows,  one 
poor  man  was  sitting  who  did  not  enjoy  the  singing. 
It  was  Caedmon,  the  cowherd. 

"What  shall  I  do  when  it  comes  my  turn?"  he  said 
to  himself.  "I  do  not  know  any  song.  My  voice  is 
harsh  and  I  cannot  sing." 

So  he  sat  there  trembling  and  afraid ;  for  he  was  a 
timid,  bashful  man  and  did  not  like  to  be  noticed. 


158  Caedmon 

At  last,  just  as  the  blacksmith  was  in  the  midst  of  a 
stirring  song,  he  rose  quietly  and  went  out  into  the  dark 
ness.  He  went  across  the  narrow  yard  to  the  sheds 
where  the  cattle  were  kept  in  stormy  weather. 

"The  gentle  cows  will  not  ask  a  song  of  me,"  said 
the  poor  man.  He  soon  found  a  warm  corner,  and  there 
he  lay  down,  covering  himself  with  the  straw. 

Inside  of  the  great  kitchen,  beside  the  fire,  the  men 
were  shouting  and  laughing;  for  the  blacksmith  had 
finished  his  song,  and  it  was  very  pleasing. 

"Who  is  next?"  asked  the  woodman. 

"Caedmon,  the  keeper  of  the  cows,"  answered  the 
chief  cook. 

"Yes,  Caedmon  !  Caedmon  !"  all  shouted  together. 
''A  song  from  Caedmon!"  But  when  they  looked, 
they  saw  that  his  seat  was  vacant. 

"  The  poor,  timid  fellow  ! "  said  the  blacksmith.  "  He 
was  afraid  and  has  slipped  away  from  us." 

II 

In  his  safe,  warm  place  in  the  straw,  Caedmon  soon 
fell  asleep.  All  around  him  were  the  cows  of  the  abbey, 
some  chewing  their  cuds,  and  others  like  their  master 
quietly  sleeping.  The  singing  in  the  kitchen  was  ended, 


The  Cowherd  Who  Became  a  Poet    159 

the  fire  had  burned  low,  and  each  man  had  gone  to  his 
place. 

Then  Caedmon  had  a  strange  dream.  He  thought 
that  a  wonderful  light  was  shining  around  him.  His 
eyes  were  dazzled  by  it.  He  rubbed  them  with  his 
hands,  and  when  they  were  quite  open  he  thought  that 
he  saw  a  beautiful  face  looking  down  upon  him,  and  that 
a  gentle  voice  said, — 

"Caedmon,  sing  for  me." 

At  first  he  was  so  bewildered  that  he  could  not 
answer.  Then  he  heard  the  voice  again. 

"Caedmon,  sing  something." 

"Oh,  I  cannot  sing,"  answered  the  poor  man.  "  I  do 
not  know  any  song;  and  my  voice  is  harsh  and  un 
pleasant.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  I  left  my 
fellows  in  the  abbey  kitchen  and  came  here  to  be 
alone." 

''But  you  must  sing,"  said  the  voice.  "You  must 
sing." 

"What  shall  I  sing?"  he  asked. 

"Sing  of  the  creation,"  was  the  answer. 

Then  Caedmon,  with  only  the  cows  as  his  hearers, 
opened  his  mouth  and  began  to  sing.  He  sang  of  the 
beginning  of  things;  how  the  world  was  made;  how 


160 


Caedmon 


the  sun  and  moon  came  into  being ;  how  the  land  rose 
from  the  water;  how  the  birds  and  the  beasts  were 
given  life. 


All  through  the  night  he  sat  among  the  abbey  cows, 
and  sang  his  wonderful  song.  When  the  stable  boys 
and  shepherds  came  out  in  the  morning,  they  heard  him 


The  Cowherd  Who  Became  a  Poet    161 

singing ;  and  they  were  so  amazed  that  they  stood  still 
in  the  drifted  snow  and  listened  with  open  mouths. 

At  length,  others  of  the  servants  heard  him,  and  were 
entranced  by  his  wonderful  song.  And  one  ran  quickly 
and  told  the  good  abbess,  or  mistress  of  the  abbey,  what 
strange  thing  had  happened. 

"  Bring  the  cowherd  hither,  that  I  and  those  who  are 
with  me  may  hear  him,"  said  she. 

So  Caedmon  was  led  into  the  great  hall  of  the  abbey. 
And  all  of  the  sweet-faced  sisters  and  other  women  of 
the  place  listened  while  he  sang  again  the  wonderful 
song  of  the  creation. 

"Surely,"  said  the  abbess,  "this  is  a  poem,  most 
sweet,  most  true,  most  beautiful.  It  must  be  written 
down  so  that  people  in  other  places  and  in  other  times 
may  hear  it  read  and  sung." 

So  she  called  her  clerk,  who  was  a  scholar,  and 
bade  him  write  the  song,  word  for  word,  as  it  came 
from  Caedmon's  lips.  And  this  he  did. 

Such  was  the  way  in  which  the  first  true  English  poem 
was  written.  And  Caedmon,  the  poor  cowherd  of  the 
abbey,  was  the  first  great  poet  of  England. 


FIFTY   FAMOUS   PEOPLE 11 


162  Gautama 

THE  LOVER  OF  MEN 

IN  the  Far  East  there  was  once  a  prince  whose  name 
was  Gautama.  He  lived  in  a  splendid  palace  where 
there  was  everything  that  could  give  delight.  It  was 
the  wish  of  his  father  and  mother  that  every  day  of  his 
life  should  be  a  day  of  perfect  happiness. 

So  this  prince  grew  up  to  be  a  young  man,  tall  and 
fair  and  graceful.  He  had  never  gone  beyond  the  beau 
tiful  gardens  that  surrounded  his  father's  palace.  He 
had  never  seen  nor  heard  of  sorrow  or  sickness  or 
poverty.  Everything  that  was  evil  or  disagreeable  had 
been  carefully  kept  out  of  his  sight.  He  knew  only  of 
those  things  that  give  joy  and  health  and  peace. 

But  one  day  after  he  had  become  a  man,  he  said : 
"Tell  me  about  the  great  world  which,  you  say,  lies  out 
side  of  these  palace  walls.  It  must  be  a  beautiful  and 
happy  place ;  and  I  wish  to  know  all  about  it." 

"Yes,  it  is  a  beautiful  place,"  was  the  answer.  "In 
it  there  are  numberless  trees  and  flowers  and  rivers  and 
waterfalls,  and  other  things  to  make  the  heart  glad." 

"  Then  to-morrow  I  will  go  out  and  see  some  of  those 
things,"  he  said. 

His  parents  and  friends  begged  him  not  to  go.     They 


The  Lover 'of  Men  163 

told  him  that  there  were  beautiful  things  at  home  - 
why  go  away  to  see  other  things  less  beautiful  ?    But 
when  they  saw  that  his  mind  was  set  on  going,  they  said 
no  more. 

The  next  morning,  Gautama  sat  in  his  carriage  and 
rode  out  from  the  palace  into  one  of  the  streets  of  the 
city.  He  looked  with  wonder  at  the  houses  on  either 
side,  and  at  the  faces  of  the  children  who  stood  in  the 
doorways  as  he  passed.  At  first  he  did  not  see  any 
thing  that  disturbed  him ;  for  word  had  gone  before 
him  to  remove  from  sight  everything  that  might  be 
displeasing  or  painful. 

Soon  the  carriage  turned  into  another  street  —  a 
street  less  carefully  guarded.  Here  there  were  no 
children  at  the  doors.  But  suddenly,  at  a  narrow  place, 
they  met  a  very  old  man,  hobbling  slowly  along  over 
the  stony  way. 

"Who  is  that  man?"  asked  Gautama,  "and  why  is 
his  face  so  pinched  and  his  hair  so  white  ?  Why  do  his 
legs  tremble  under  him  as  he  walks,  leaning  upon  a 
stick  ?  He  seems  weak,  and  his  eyes  are  dull.  Is  he 
some  new  kind  of  man  ?" 

"Sir/7  answered  the  coachman,  "that  is  an  old  man. 
He  has  lived  more  than  eighty  years.  All  who  reach 


164  Gautama 

old  age  must  lose  their  strength  and  become  like  him, 
feeble  and  gray." 

"Alas!"  said  the  prince.  "Is  this  the  condition  to 
which  I  must  come?" 

"If  you  live  long  enough,"  was  the  answer. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?  Do  not  all  persons 
live  eighty  years  — yes,  many  times  eighty  years?" 

The  coachman  made  no  answer,  but  drove  onward. 

They  passed  out  into  the  open  country  and  saw  the 
cottages  of  the  poor  people.  By  the  door  of  one  of  these 
a  sick  man  was  lying  upon  a  couch,  helpless  and  pale. 

"Why  is  that  man  lying  there  at  this  time  of  day?" 
asked  the  prince.  "  His  face  is  white,  and  he  seems  very 
weak.  Is  he  also  an  old  man?" 

"Oh,  no!  He  is  sick,"  answered  the  coachman. 
"Poor  people  are  often  sick." 

"What  does  that  mean?"  asked  the  prince.  "Why- 
are  they  sick?" 

The  coachman  explained  as  well  as  he  was  able ;  and 
they  rode  onward. 

Soon  they  saw  a  company  of  men  toiling  by  the 
roadside.  Their  faces  were  browned  by  the  sun ;  their 
hands  were  hard  and  gnarly  ;  their  backs  were  bent  by 
much  heavy  lifting ;  their  clothing  was  in  tatters. 


The  Lover  of  Men  165 

"Who  are  those  men,  and  why  do  their  faces  look  so 
joyless?"  asked  the  prince.  "What  are  they  doing  by 
the  roadside?" 

"  They  are  poor  men,  and  they  are  working  to  improve 
the  king's  highway,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Poor  men  ?    What  does  that  mean  ?  " 

"Most  of  the  people  in  the  world  are  poor,"  said  the 
coachman.  "Their  lives  are  spent  in  toiling  for  the 
rich.  Their  joys  are  few ;  their  sorrows  are  many." 

"And  is  this  the  great,  beautiful,  happy  world  that 
I  have  been  told  about?"  cried  the  prince.  "How 
weak  and  foolish  I  have  been  to  live  in  idleness  and  ease 
while  there  is  so  much  sadness  and  trouble  around  me. 
Turn  the  carriage  quickly,  coachman,  and  drive  home. 
Henceforth,  I  will  never  again  seek  my  own  pleasure.  I 
will  spend  all  my  life,  and  give  all  that  I  have,  to  lessen 
the  distress  and  sorrow  with  which  this  world  seems 
filled." 

This  the  prince  did.  One  night  he  left  the  beau 
tiful  palace  which  his  father  had  given  to  him  and  went 
out  into  the  world  to  do  good  and  to  help  his  fellow 
men.  And  to  this  day,  millions  of  people  remember 
and  honor  the  name  of  Gautama,  as  that  of  the  great 
lover  of  men. 


166  Louis  the  Fourteenth 

THE    CHARCOAL    MAN    AND    THE    KING 

THERE  once  lived  in  Paris  a  poor  charcoal  man  whose 
name  was  Jacquot.1  His  house  was  small,  with  only 
one  room  in  it ;  but  it  was  large  enough  for  Jacquot 
and  his  wife  and  their  two  little  boys. 

At  one  end  of  the  room  there  was  a  big  fireplace, 
where  the  mother  did  the  cooking.  At  the  other  end 
were  the  beds.  And  in  the  middle  was  a  rough  table 
with  benches  around  it  instead  of  chairs. 

Jacquot's  business  was  to  sell  charcoal  to  the  rich 
people  in  the  city.  He  might  be  seen  every  day  with  a 
bag  of  charcoal  on  his  back,  carrying  it  to  some  of  his 
customers.  Sometimes  he  carried  three  or  four  bags 
to  the  palace  where  the  little  king  of  France  lived  with 
his  mother. 

One  evening  he  was  very  late  coming  home.  The 
table  was  spread  and  supper  was  ready.  The  children 
were  hungry  and  could  hardly  wait  for  their  father  to 
come. 

"The  supper  will  get  cold/'  said  Chariot,2  the  eldest. 

"I  wonder  why  he  is  so  late/'  said  his  little  brother, 
Blondel.3 

1  Jacquot  (pro.  zhak  koO.  2  Chariot  (pro.  shar  16'). 

*  Blon  del'. 


The  Charcoal  Man  and  the  King    167 

"There  is  to  be  a  great  feast  at  the  queen's  palace 
to-night,"  said  the  mother.  "There  will  be  music  and 
dancing,  and  many  fine  people  will  be  there.  Perhaps 
your  father  is  waiting  to  help  in  the  kitchen." 

The  next  minute  they  heard  his  voice  at  the  door: 
"Be  quick,  boys,  and  stir  the  fire.  Throw  on  some 
chips  and  make  a  blaze." 

They  did  so,  and  as  the  flames  lighted  up  the  room, 
they  saw  their  father  enter  with  a  child  in  his  arms. 

"What's  the  matter?"  cried  the  mother.  "Who 
is  that  child?" 

Then  she  saw  that  the  child's  face  was  very  pale  and 
that  he  neither  opened  his  eyes  nor  moved. 

"Oh,  what  has  happened?  Where  did  you  find 
him?" 

"Til  tell  you  all  about  it,"  answered  Jacquot.  "But 
first  get  a  blanket  and  warm  it,  quick.  That  on  the 
children's  bed  is  best." 

"What  a  beautiful  child!"  said  the  mother,  as  she 
hurried  to  do  his  bidding.  The  two  boys,  Chariot  and 
Blondel,  with  wondering  eyes  watched  their  father 
and  mother  undress  the  little  stranger.  His  beautiful 
clothes  were  soaked  with  water,  and  his  fine  white  collar 
and  ruffles  were  soiled  and  dripping. 


168  Louis  the  Fourteenth 

"He  must  have  some  dry  clothes.  Bring  me  your 
Sunday  suit,  Chariot." 

"Here  it  is,  mother,"  said  Chariot. 

Soon  the  little  stranger  was  clad  in  the  warm  clothes ; 
the  dry  soft  blanket  was  wrapped  around  him ;  and  he 
was  laid  on  the  children's  bed. 

Then,  being  very  comfortable,  he  began  to  grow 
stronger.  The  color  came  back  to  his  cheeks.  He 
opened  his  eyes  and  looked  around  at  the  small,  plain 
room  and  at  the  poor  people  standing  near  him. 

"Where  am  I?    Where  am  I?"  he  asked. 

"In  my  house,  my  little  friend,"  answered  Jacquot. 

"My  little  friend!"  said  the  child  with  a  sneer. 

He  looked  at  the  fire  on  the  hearth,  and  at  the  rough 
table  and  benches.  Then  he  said,  "Your  house  is  a 
very  poor  place,  I  think." 

"I  am  sorry  if  you  do  not  like  it,"  said  Jacquot. 
"But  if  I  had  not  helped  you,  you  would  have  been  in 
a  worse  place." 

"How  did  these  clothes  come  on  me?"  cried  the 
child.  "They  are  not  mine.  You  have  stolen  my 
clothes  and  have  given  me  these  ugly  things." 

"Stolen!"  said  the  charcoal  man,  angrily.  "What 
do  you  mean,  you  ungrateful  little  rascal?" 


The  Charcoal  Man  and  the  King    169 

"Hush,  Jacquot,"  said  his  wife,  kindly.  "He  doesn't 
know  what  he  says.  Wait  till  he  rests  a  while,  and 
'len  he'll  be  in  a  better  humor." 

The  child  was  indeed  very  tired.  His  eyes  closed 
and  he  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

"Now  tell  us,  father,"  whispered  Chariot,  "where  did 
you  find  him?" 

The  charcoal  man  sat  down  by  the  fire.  The  two 
boys  stood  at  his  knees,  and  his  wife  sat  at  his  side. 

"I  will  tell  you,"  he  said.  "I  had  carried  some  char 
coal  to  the  queen's  kitchen  and  was  just  starting  home. 
I  took  the  shortest  way  through  the  little  park  behind 
the  palace.  You  know  where  the  fountain  is?" 

"Yes,  yes!"  said  Blondel.  "It  is  quite  near  the 
park  gate." 

"Well,  as  I  was  hurrying  along,  I  heard  a  great 
splash,  as  though  something  had  fallen  into  the  pool  by 
the  fountain.  I  looked  and  saw  this  little  fellow  strug 
gling  in  the  water.  I  ran  and  pulled  him  out.  He  was 
almost  drowned." 

"Did  he  say  anything,  father?"  asked  Chariot. 

"Oh,  no  !  He  was  senseless;  but  I  knew  he  wasn't 
drowned.  I  thought  of  the  big  fire  in  the  queen's 
kitchen,  and  knew  that  the  cook  would  never  allow  a 


170  Louis  the  Fourteenth 

half-drowned  child  to  be  carried  into  that  fine  place. 
Then  I  thought  of  our  own  warm  little  house,  and  how 
snug  we  could  make  him  until  he  came  to  his  senses 
again.  So  I  took  him  in  my  arms  and  ran  home  as 
fast  as  I  could." 

"The  poor,  dear  child!"  said  Mrs.  Jacquot.  "I 
wonder  who  he  is." 

"He  shall  be  our  little  brother,"  said  Blondel;  and 
both  the  boys  clapped  their  hands  very  softly. 

In  a  little  while  the  child  awoke.  He  seemed  to  feel 
quite  well  and  strong.  He  sat  up  in  the  bed  and  looked 
around. 

"You  want  your  mother,  don't  you?"  said  Mrs. 
Jacquot.  "She  must  be  very  uneasy  about  you.  Tell 
us  who  she  is,  and  we  will  carry  you  to  her." 

"There  is  no  hurry  about  that,"  said  the  child. 

"But  they  will  be  looking  for  you." 

"So  much  the  better,  let  them  look.  My  mother 
will  not  be  worried.  She  has  other  things  to  do,  and 
no  time  to  attend  to  me." 

"What!  Your  own  mother,  and  no  time  to  attend 
to  her  child?" 

"Yes,  madam.  But  she  has  servants  to  attend  to 
me." 


The  Charcoal  Man  and  the  King    171 

"Servants  !  Yes,  I  think  so,"  said  Jacquot.  "They 
let  you  fall  into  the  water,  and  you  would  have  been 
drowned,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  me.  But  come,  children, 
let  us  have  our  supper." 

They  sat  down  at  the  table.  The  mother  gave  each 
a  tin  plate  and  a  wooden  spoon,  and  then  helped  them  all 
to  boiled  beans.  The  father  cut  slices  from  a  loaf  of 
brown  bread. 

The  little  stranger  came  and  sat  with  them.  But  he 
would  not  eat  anything. 

"You  must  tell  us  who  your  mother  is,"  said  Mrs. 
Jacquot.  "We  must  let  her  know  that  you  are  safe." 

"Of  course  she  will  be  glad  to  know  that,"  said  the 
boy ;  "but  she  has  no  time  to  bother  about  me  to-night." 

"Is  she  like  our  mother?"  asked  Chariot. 

"She  is  handsomer." 

"But  ours  is  better.  She  is  always  doing  something 
for  us,"  said  Blondel. 

"Mine  gives  me  fine  clothes  and  plenty  of  money  to 
spend,"  said  the  stranger. 

"Ours  gives  us  kisses,"  said  Chariot. 

"  Ha  !  that's  nothing.  Mine  makes  the  servants  wait 
on  me  and  do  as  I  tell  them." 

"But  our  dear  mother  waits  on  us  herself." 


172  Louis  the  Fourteenth 

The  charcoal  man  and  his  wife  listened  to  this  little 
dispute,  and  said  nothing.  They  were  just  rising  from 
the  table  when  they  heard  a  great  noise  in  the  street. 
Then  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door. 

Before  Mrs.  Jacquot  could  open  it,  some  one  called 
out,  "Is  this  the  house  of  Jacquot,  the  charcoal  man ?" 

"That  is  my  tutor,"  whispered  the  little  stranger. 
"He  has  come  after  me." 

Then  he  slipped  quickly  under  the  table  and  hid  him 
self.  "Don't  tell  him  I  am  here,"  he  said  softly. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  room  was  filled  with  gentlemen. 
They  were  all  dressed  very  finely,  and  some  of  them 
carried  swords. 

A  tall  man  who  wore  a  long  red  cloak  seemed  to  be 
the  leader  of  the  company.  He  said  to  a  soldier  who 
stood  at  the  door,  "Tell  your  story  again." 

"Well,"  said  the  soldier,  "about  two  hours  ago  I  was 
on  guard  at  the  gate  of  the  queen's  park.  This  char 
coal  man,  whom  I  know  very  well,  ran  past  me  with  a 
child  in  his  arms.  I  did  not  - 

"That  will  do,  sir,"  said  the  man  in  red.  "Now,  you 
charcoal  man,  where  is  that  child?" 

"Here!"  cried  the  child  himself,  darting  out  from 
his  hiding  place. 


The  Charcoal  Man  and  the  King    173 


"0  your  Majesty  !"  said  the  man  in  red.     "All  your 
court  has  been  looking  for  you  for  the  past  two  hours." 


174  Louis  the  Fourteenth 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  Cardinal  Mazarin," ]  said  the  boy. 

"Your  mother  is  very  anxious." 

"  I  am  sorry  if  I  have  given  her  trouble.  But  really, 
I  fell  into  the  pool  at  the  fountain,  and  this  kind  man 
brought  me  here  to  get  me  dry." 

"Indeed  !"  said  the  cardinal.  "But  I  hope  you  are 
now  ready  to  come  home  with  us." 

"I  shall  go  when  I  please." 

"Your  mother—" 

"Oh,  yes,  I  know  she  is  anxious,  and  I  will  go.  But 
first  I  must  thank  these  poor  people." 

"Please  do  so,  your  Majesty." 

The  boy  turned  toward  the  charcoal  man  and  said  :  - 

"My  friend,  I  am  the  king  of  France.  My  name  is 
Louis  the  Fourteenth.  I  thank  you  for  what  you  have 
done  for  me.  You  shall  have  money  to  buy  a  larger 
house  and  to  send  your  boys  to  school.  Here  is  my  hand 
to  kiss." 

Then  he  turned  to  the  cardinal  and  said,  "Now,  I 
am  ready.  Let  us  go." 

"Not  dressed  in  that  way?"  said  the  cardinal.  He 
had  just  noticed  that  the  king  was  wearing  poor  Char- 
lot's  Sunday  suit  instead  of  his  own. 

1  Maz  a  reen'. 


Which  Was  the  King  ?         175 

"Why  not?"  answered  the  little  king. 

"Think  what  your  mother  would  say  if  she  saw  you 
in  the  clothes  of  a  poor  man's  son/'  said  the  cardinal. 
"Think  of  what  all  the  fine  ladies  would  say." 

"Let  them  say  what  they  please,  I  am  not  going  to 
change  my  clothes." 

As  the  little  king  went  out,  he  turned  at  the  door  and 
called  to  Chariot.  "Come  to  the  palace  to-morrow," 
he  said,  "and  you  shall  have  your  clothes.  You  may 
bring  mine  with  you." 

Louis  the  Fourteenth  became  king  of  France  when  he 
was  only  five  years  old.  He  was  called  "the  Four 
teenth"  because  there  had  been  thirteen  other  kings 
before  him  who  bore  the  name  of  Louis.  In  history 
he  is  often,  called  the  Grand  Monarch. 


WHICH  WAS  THE  KING? 

ONE  day  King  Henry  the  Fourth  of  France  was 
hunting  in  a  large  forest.  Towards  evening  he  told 
his  men  to  ride  home  by  the  main  road  while  he  went 
by  another  way  that  was  somewhat  longer. 

As  he  came  out  of  the  forest  he  saw  a  little  boy  by 
the  roadside,  who  seemed  to  be  watching  for  some  one. 


176  Henry  the  Fourth 

"Well,  my  boy/'  said  the  king,  "are  you  looking  for 
your  father  ?  " 

"No,  sir/'  answered  the  boy.  "I  am  looking  for  the 
king.  They  say  he  is  hunting  in  the  woods,  and  perhaps 
will  ride  out  this  way.  So  I'm  waiting  to  see  him." 

"Oh,  if  that  is  what  you  wish,"  said  King  Henry, 
"get  up  behind  me  on  the  horse  and  I'll  take  you  to 
the  place  where  you  will  see  him." 

The  boy  got  up  at  once,  and  sat  behind  the  king. 
The  horse  cantered  briskly  along,  and  king  and  boy 
were  soon  quite  well  acquainted. 

"They  say  that  King  Henry  always  has  a  number  of 
men  with  him,"  said  the  boy;  "how  shall  I  know 
which  is  he?" 

"Oh,  that  will  be  easy  enough,"  was  the  answer.  "All 
the  other  men  will  take  off  their  hats,  but  the  king  will 
keep  his  on." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  the  one  with  his  hat  on  will  be 
the  king?" 

"Certainly." 

Soon  they  came  into  the  main  road  where  a  number 
of  the  king's  men  were  waiting.  All  the  men  seemed 
amused  when  they  saw  the  boy,  and  as  they  rode  up, 
they  greeted  the  king  by  taking  off  their  hats. 


The  Golden  Tripod  177 

"Well,  my  boy,"  said  King  Henry,  "which  do  you 
think  is  the  king?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  the  boy;  "but  it  must 
be  either  you  or  I,  for  we  both  have  our  hats  on." 

THE   GOLDEN   TRIPOD 

I 

ONE  morning,  long  ago,  a  merchant  of  Miletus1  was 
walking  along  the  seashore.  Some  fishermen  were 
pulling  in  a  large  net,  and  he  stopped  to  watch  them. 

"My  good  men,"  he  said,  "how  many  fish  do  you 
expect  to  draw  in  this  time?" 

"We  cannot  tell,"  they  answered.  "We  never 
count  our  fish  before  they  are  caught." 

The  net  seemed  heavy.  There  was  certainly  some 
thing  in  it.  The  merchant  felt  sure  that  the  fishermen 
were  having  a  good  haul. 

"How  much  will  you  take  for  the  fish  that  you  are 
drawing  in  ?"  he  asked. 

"How  much  will  you  give?"  said  the  fishermen. 

"Well,  I  will  give  three  pieces  of  silver  for  all  that 
are  in  the  net,"  answered  the  merchant. 

1  Mi  le'tus. 

FIFTY   FAMOUS   PEOPLE  —  12 


178 


Thales 


The  fishermen  talked  in  low  tones  with  one  another 
for  a  little  while,  and  then  one  said,  "It's  a  bargain. 
Be  they  many  or  few,  you  may  have  all  for  three  pieces 
of  silver." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  big  net  was  pulled  up  out  of  the 
water.  There  was  not  a  fish  in  it.  But  it  held  a  beau- 


The  Golden  Tripod  179 

tiful  golden  tripod  that  was  worth  more  than  a  thou 
sand  fishes. 

The  merchant  was  delighted.  "Here  is  your 
money,"  he  said.  "Give  me  the  tripod." 

"No,  indeed,"  said  the  fishermen.  "You  were  to 
have  all  the  fish  that  happened  to  be  in  the  net  and 
nothing  else.  We  didn't  sell  you  the  tripod." 

They  began  to  quarrel.  They  talked  and  wrangled 
a  long  time  and  could  not  agree.  Then  one  of  the 
fishermen  said,  "Let  us  ask  the  governor  about  it  and 
do  as  he  shall  bid  us." 

"Yes,  let  us  ask  the  governor,"  said  the  merchant. 
"Let  him  decide  the  matter  for  us." 

So  they  carried  the  tripod  to  the  governor,  and  each 
told  his  story. 

The  governor  listened,  but  could  not  make  up  his 
mind  as  to  who  was  right. 

"This  is  a  very  important  question,"  he  said.  "We 
must  send  to  Delphi *  and  ask  the  oracle  whether  the 
tripod  shall  be  given  to  the  fishermen  or  to  the  mer 
chant.  Leave  the  tripod  in  my  care  until  we  get  an 


answer." 


Now  the  oracle  at  Delphi  was  supposed  to  be  very 

1  Delphi  (pro.  del'fl). 


180  Thales 

wise.    People  from  all  parts  of  the  world  sent  to  it,  to 
tell  it  their  troubles  and  get  its  advice. 

So  the  governor  sent  a  messenger  to  Delphi  to  ask  the 
oracle  what  should  be  done  with  the  tripod.  The  mer 
chant  and  the  fishermen  waited  impatiently  till  the 
answer  came.  And  this  is  what  the  oracle  said :  - 

"Give  not  the  merchant  nor  the  fishermen  the  prize ; 
But  give  it  to  that  one  who  is  wisest  of  the  wise." 

The  governor  was  much  pleased  with  this  answer. 

"The  prize  shall  go  to  the  man  who  deserves  it  most," 
he  said.  "There  is  our  neighbor,  Thales,1  whom  every 
body  knows  and  loves.  He  is  famous  all  over  the 
world.  Men  come  from  every  country  to  see  him  and 
learn  from  him.  We  will  give  the  prize  to  him." 

So,  with  his  own  hands  he  carried  the  golden  tripod 
to  the  little  house  where  Thales  lived.  He  knocked  at 
the  door  and  the  wise  man  himself  opened  it. 

Then  the  governor  told  him  how  the  tripod  had  been 
found,  and  how  the  oracle  had  said  that  it  must  be  given 
to  the  wisest  of  the  wise. 

"And  so  I  have  brought  the  prize  to  you,  friend 
Thales." 

"  To  me  ! "  said  the  astonished  Thales.     "  Why,  there 

1  Thales  (pro.  tha'leez). 


The  Golden  Tripod  181 

are  many  men  who  are  wiser  than  I.  There  is  my  friend 
Bias  l  of  Priene.2  He  excels  all  other  men.  Send  the 
beautiful  gift  to  him." 

So  the  governor  called  two  of  his  trusted  officers  and 
told  them  to  carry  the  tripod  to  Priene  and  offer  it 
to  Bias. 

"Tell  the  wise  man  why  you  bring  it,  and  repeat  to 
him  the  words  of  the  oracle." 

II 

Now  all  the  world  had  heard  of  the  wisdom  of  Bias. 
He  taught  that  men  ought  to  be  kind  even  to  their 
enemies.  He  taught,  also,  that  a  friend  is  the  greatest 
blessing  that  any  one  can  have. 

He  was  a  poor  man  and  had  no  wish  to  be  rich.  "It 
is  better  to  be  wise  than  wealthy,"  he  said. 

When  the  governor's  messengers  came  to  Priene  with 
the  tripod,  they  found  Bias  at  work  in  his  garden. 
They  told  him  their  errand  and  showed  him  the  beauti 
ful  prize. 

He  would  not  take  it. 

"The  oracle  did  not  intend  that  I  should  have  it," 
he  said.  "I  am  not  the  wisest  of  the  wise." 

1  Bi'as.  2  Pri  e'ne. 


182  Pittacus 

"But  what  shall  we  do  with  it?"  said  the  messengers. 
"Where  shall  we  find  the  wisest  man?" 

"In  Mitylene,1 "  answered  Bias,  "there  is  a  very 
great  man  named  Pittacus.2  He  might  now  be  the 
king  of  his  country,  but  he  prefers  to  give  all  of  his  time 
to  the  study  of  wisdom.  He  is  the  man  whom  the 
oracle  meant." 

Ill 

The  name  of  Pittacus  was  known  all  over  the  world. 
He  was  a  brave  soldier  and  a  wise  teacher.  The  people 
of  his  country  had  made  him  their  king ;  but  as  soon  as 
he  had  made  good  laws  for  them  he  gave  up  his  crown. 

One  of  his  mottoes  was  this :  "Whatever  you  do,  do 
it  well." 

The  messengers  found  him  in  his  house  talking  to 
his  friends  and  teaching  them  wisdom. 

He  looked  at  the  tripod.  "How  beautiful  it  is  !  "he 
said. 

Then  the  messengers  told  him  how  it  had  been  taken 
from  the  sea,  and  they  repeated  the  words  of  the 
oracle :  - 

"Give  not  the  merchant  nor  the  fishermen  the  prize; 
But  give  it  to  that  one  who  is  wisest  of  the  wise." 

1  Mit  y  le'ne.  *  Pit' ta  cus. 


The  Golden  Tripod  183 

"It  is  well,"  said  he,  "that  neither  a  merchant  nor  a 
fisherman  shall  have  it;  for  such  men  think  only  of 
their  business  and  care  really  nothing  for  beauty." 

"We  agree  with  you,"  said  the  messengers ;  "and  we 
present  the  prize  to  you  because  you  are  the  wisest  of 
the  wise." 

"You  are  mistaken,"  answered  Pittacus.  "I  should 
be  delighted  to  own  so  beautiful  a  piece  of  workmanship, 
but  I  know  I  am  not  worthy." 

"Then  to  whom  shall  we  take  it?"  asked  the  mes 
sengers. 

"Take  it  to  Cleobulus,1  King  of  Rhodes,2  "  answered 
the  wise  man.  "He  is  the  handsomest  and  strongest 
of  men,  and  I  believe  he  is  the  wisest  also." 

IV 

The  messengers  went  on  until  they  came  at  last  to  the 
island  of  Rhodes.  There  everybody  was  talking  about 
King  Cleobulus  and  his  wonderful  wisdom.  He  had 
studied  in  all  the  great  schools  of  the  world,  and  there 
was  nothing  that  he  did  not  know. 

"Educate  the  children,"  he  said ;  and  for  that  reason 
his  name  is  remembered  to  this  day. 

When  the  messengers  showed  him  the  tripod,  he  said, 

1  Cle  o  bu'lus.  2  Rhodes  (pro.  rodes). 


184  Periander 

"That  is  indeed  a  beautiful  piece  of  work.  Will  you 
sell  it  ?  What  is  the  price  ?  " 

They  told  him  that  it  was  not  for  sale,  but  that  it 
was  to  be  given  to  the  wisest  of  the  wise. 

"Well,  you  will  not  find  that  man  in  Rhodes/'  said 
he.  "He  lives  in  Corinth,1  and  his  name  is  Periander.2 
Carry  the  precious  gift  to  him." 

V 

Everybody  had  heard  of  Periander,  king  of  Corinth. 
Some  had  heard  of  his  great  learning,  and  others  had 
heard  of  his  selfishness  and  cruelty. 

Strangers  admired  him  for  his  wisdom.  His  own 
people  despised  him  for  his  wickedness. 

When  he  heard  that  some  men  had  come  to  Corinth 
with  a  very  costly  golden  tripod,  he  had  them  brought 
before  him. 

"I  have  heard  all  about  that  tripod/'  he  said,  "and 
I  know  why  you  are  carrying  it  from  one  place  to  an 
other.  Do  you  expect  to  find  any  man  in  Corinth  who 
deserves  so  rich  a  gift?" 

"We  hope  that  you  are  the  man,"  said  the  messen 
gers. 

1  Cor'inth.  2  Per  i  an'der. 


The  Golden  Tripod  185 

"  Ha !  ha ! "  laughed  Periander.  "  Do  I  look  like  the 
wisest  of  the  wise?  No,  indeed.  But  in  Lacedsemon1 
there  is  a  good  and  noble  man  named  Chilon.2  He 
loves  his  country,  he  loves  his  fellow  men,  he  loves  learn 
ing.  To  my  mind  he  deserves  the  golden  prize.  I  bid 
you  carry  it  to  him.'' 

VI 

The  messengers  were  surprised.  They  had  never 
heard  of  Chilon,  for  his  name  was  hardly  known  out 
side  of  his  own  country.  But  when  they  came  into 
Lacedaemon,  they  heard  his  praises  on  every  side. 

They  learned  that  Chilon  was  a  very  quiet  man,  that 
he  never  spoke  about  himself,  and  that  he  spent  all 
his  time  in  trying  to  make  his  country  great  and  strong 
and  happy. 

Chilon  was  so  busy  that  the  messengers  had  to  wait 
several  days  before  they  could  see  him.  At  last  they 
were  allowed  to  go  before  him  and  state  their  business. 

"We  have  here  a  very  beautiful  tripod,"  they  said. 
"  The  oracle  at  Delphi  has  ordered  that  it  shall  be  given 
to  the  wisest  of  wise  men,  and  for  that  reason  we  have 
brought  it  to  you." 

"You  have  made  a  mistake,"  said  Chilon.     "Over 

1  Lacedaemon  (pro.  las  e  de'mon).       2  Chilon  (pro.  kl'lon). 


186  Solon 

in  Athens  l  there  is  a  very  wise  man  whose  name  is 
Solon.2  He  is  a  poet,  a  soldier,  and  a  lawmaker.  He 
is  my  worst  enemy,  and  yet  I  admire  him  as  the  wisest 
man  in  the  world.  It  is  to  him  that  you  should  have 

taken  the  tripod/' 

VII 

The  messengers  made  due  haste  to  carry  the  golden 
prize  to  Athens.  They  had  no  trouble  in  finding  Solon. 
He  was  the  chief  ruler  of  that  great  city. 

All  the  people  whom  they  saw  spoke  in  praise  of  his 
wisdom. 

When  they  told  him  their  errand  he  was  silent  for  a 
little  while ;  then  he  said :  — 

"  I  have  never  thought  of  myself  as  a  wise  man,  and 
therefore  the  prize  is  not  for  me.  But  I  know  of  at 
least  six  men  who  are  famous  for  their  wisdom,  and  one 
of  them  must  be  the  wisest  of  the  wise." 

"Who  are  they?"  asked  the  messengers. 

"Their  names  are  Thales,  Bias,  Pittacus,  Cleobulus, 
Periander,  and  Chilon,"  answered  Solon. 

"We  have  offered  the  prize  to  each  one  of  them," 
said  the  messengers,  "and  each  one  has  refused  it." 

"Then  there  is  only  one  other  thing  to  be  done," 

1  Ath'ens.  *  Solon. 


The  Golden  Tripod  187 

said  Solon.     "  Carry  it  to  Delphi  and  leave  it  there  in 
the  Temple  of  Apollo;   for  Apollo  is  the  fountain  of 
wisdom,  the  wisest  of  the  wise." 
And  this  the  messengers  did. 

The  famous  men  of  whom  I  have  told  you  in  this 
story  are  commonly  called  the  Seven  Wise  Men  of 
Greece.  They  lived  more  than  two  thousand  years 
ago,  and  each  one  helped  to  make  his  country  famous. 


FIFTY  FAMOUS  PEOPLE 


Who  they  were,  what  they  were,  where  they  lived,  when  they  lived, 

Msop 
Alexander 
Alfred  the  Great 
Al  Mansour 
Al  Mansur 
Arion 

Aristomenes 
Bruce,  Robert 
Burritt,  Elihu 
Caedmon 
Charles  XII 
Coriolanus 
Cyrus 

Davenport,  A. 
Everett,  Edward 
Franklin,  Benj. 
P^rederick  the  Great 
Fulton,  Robert 
Gautama 
Giotto,  Bondone 
Haroun  al  Raschid 
Henry  IV 
Hogg,  James 
Jackson,  Andrew 
Jefferson,  Thos. 
Jones,  Sir  William 
Lafayette 
Lee,  Robert  E. 
Lincoln,  Abraham 
Longfellow,  H.  W. 

189 


Fabulist 

Greece 

550-  ?  B.C. 

King 

Macedon 

356-323  B.C. 

King 

England 

849-901 

Caliph 

Spain 

939-1002 

Caliph 

Persia 

712-775 

Musician 

Greece 

6th  Century  B.C. 

General 

Greece 

685-?  B.C. 

King 

Scotland 

1274-1329 

Philanthropist 

Connecticut 

1811-1879 

Poet 

England 

650-720  (?) 

King 

Sweden 

1682-1718 

General 

Rome 

5th  Century  B.C. 

King 

Persia 

6th  Century  B.C. 

Legislator 

Connecticut 

1715-1789 

Statesman 

Massachusetts 

1794-1865 

Statesman 

Pennsylvania 

1706-1790 

King 

Prussia 

1712-1786 

Inventor 

New  York 

1765-1815 

Prince 

India 

562-472  B.C. 

Painter 

Italy 

1276-1337 

Caliph 

Bagdad 

750-809 

King 

France 

1553-1610 

Poet 

Scotland 

1770-1835 

President 

United  States 

1767-1845 

President 

United  States 

1743-1826 

Scholar 

England 

1746-1794 

General 

France 

1757-1834 

General 

Virginia 

1807-1870 

President 

United  States 

1809-1865 

Poet 

Massachusetts 

1807-1882 

190 


Fifty  Famous  People 


Louis  XIV 

Mamoun 

Marshall,  John 

Otanes 

Psammeticus 

Putnam,  Israel 

Randolph,  John 

Revere,  Paul 

Richard  III 

St.  Francis 

Selkirk,  Alexander 

Solomon 

Solon 

Swift,  Jonathan 

Tamerlane 

Thales 

Washington,  G. 

Webster,  Daniel 

West,  Benjamin 

Zeuxis 


King 

France 

1638-1715 

Caliph 

Persia 

785-? 

Statesman 

Virginia 

1755-1835 

General 

Persia 

6th  Century  B.C. 

King 

Egypt 

7th  Century  B.C. 

General 

Connecticut 

1718-1790 

Statesman 

Virginia 

1773-1833 

Patriot 

Massachusetts 

1735-1818 

King 

England 

1452-1485 

Saint 

Italy 

1182-1226 

Sailor 

Scotland 

1676-1723 

King 

Jerusalem 

10th  Century  B.C. 

Philosopher 

Athens 

6th  Century  B.C. 

Author 

Ireland 

1667-1745 

Conqueror 

Tartary 

1333-1405 

Philosopher 

Miletus 

6th  Century  B.C. 

President 

United  States 

1732-1799 

Statesman 

Massachusetts 

1782-1852 

Painter 

Pennsylvania 

1738-1820 

Painter 

Greece 

5th  Century  B.C. 

A  few  other  famous  people  mentioned  in  this 


Astyages 

King 

Media 

Bias 

Philosopher 

Priene 

Chilon 

Philosopher 

Sparta 

Cimabue 

Painter 

Florence 

Cleobulus 

King 

Rhodes 

Defoe,  Daniel 

Author 

England 

Mazarin 

Cardinal 

France 

Parrhasius 

Painter 

Greece 

Periander 

King 

Corinth 

Pittacus 

Philosopher 

Mitylene 

Sheba.  The  Queen 

of  . 

volume. 

6th  Century  B.C. 
6th  Century  B.C. 
6th  Century  B.C. 
1240-1302 
6th  Century  B.C. 
1661-1731 
1602-1661 
—400  B.C. 
6th  Century  B.C. 
6th  Century  B.C. 
10th  Century  B.C. 


BALDWIN  AND   BENDER'S 
EXPRESSIVE    READERS 

By  JAMES  BALDWIN,  Author  of  Baldwin's  School  Read 
ers,  Harper's  Readers,  etc.  and  IDA  C.  BENDER, 
Supervisor  of  Primary  Grades,  Buffalo,  New  York. 

AN  EIGHT  BOOK  SERIES  or  A  FIVE  BOOK  SERIES 
WITH  TEACHERS'  MANUAL 


THE  authorship  of  this  series  is  conclusive  evidence  of 
its  rare  worth,  of  its  happy  union  of  the  ideal  and  the 
practical.  The  chief  design  of  the  books  is  to  help  pupils 
to  acquire  the  art  and  habit  of  reading  so  well  as  to  give  pleas 
ure  both  to  themselves  and  to  those  who  listen  to  them.  They 
teach  reading  with  expression,  and  the  selections  have,  to  a 
large  extent,  been  chosen  for  this  purpose. 
^[  These  readers  are  very  teachable  and  readable,  and  are  un 
usually  interesting  both  in  selections  and  in  illustrations.  The 
selections  are  of  a  very  high  literary  quality.  Besides  the 
choicest  schoolbook  classics,  there  are  a  large  number  which 
have  never  before  appeared  in  school  readers.  The  contents 
are  well  balanced  between  prose  and  poetry,  and  the  subject 
matter  is  unusually  varied.  Beginning  with  the  Third  Reader, 
selections  relating  to  similar  subjects  or  requiring  similar 
methods  of  study  or  recitation,  are  grouped  together.  Many 
selections  are  in  dialogue  form  and  suitable  for  dramatization. 
^J  The  First  Reader  may  be  used  with  any  method  of  teach 
ing  reading,  for  it  combines  the  best  ideas  of  each.  A  number 
of  helpful  new  features  are  also  included.  Each  reading  lesson 
is  on  a  right-hand  page,  and  is  approached  by  a  series  of  pre 
paratory  exercises  on  the  preceding  ieft-hand  page. 
*T[  The  illustrations  constitute  the  finest  and  most  attractive 
collection  ever  brought  together  in  a  series  of  readers.  There 
are  over  600  in  all,  every  one  made  especially  for  these  books 
by  an  artist  of  national  reputation. 


AMERICAN     BOOK     COMPANY 

(5) 


THE     BALDWIN     SPELLER 

By  S.  R.  SHEAR,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Kingston, 
N.  Y.,  assisted  by  MARGARET  T.  LYNCH,  Princi 
pal  of  Public  School  No.  2,  White  Plains,  N.  Y. 

$0.20 


THIS  complete  spelling  book  for  primary  and  grammar 
grades  has  been  prepared  on  a  simple  and  practical 
plan.  Beginning  with  the  second  year,  the  work 
covers  six  and  one-half  years,  and  is  outlined  clearly  and 
definitely  for  each  day  in  each  week.  The  words  are 
arranged  in  groups  of  four  lessons,  each  group  forming  a 
week's  work,  the  fifth  lesson  of  each  week  being  an  oral 
review  of  the  words  learned  during  that  time.  Only  a  few 
words  are  given  in  each  lesson,  and  these  are  intended  to  be 
memorized,  and  then  written  from  memory  on  the  following 
day.  After  the  fifth  year,  the  lists  of  new  words  are  longer, 
and  the  reviews  more  frequent. 

^|  The  words  were  selected  by  class-room  teachers.  Several 
teachers  of  a  certain  grade  observed  the  class  vocabulary  for 
one  year  ;  each  teacher  then  submitted  a  list  of  several 
hundred  words.  These  lists  were  subsequently  compared, 
condensed,  and  approved  at  a  joint  consultation  of  teachers, 
principals,  and  superintendent. 

^[  Wherever  words  occur  for  the  first  time,  the  diacritical 
marks  have  been  omitted,  thus  making  the  words  appear  to 
the  pupil  more  nearly  as  they  do  on  the  ordinary  printed 
page.  The  diacritical  marks  are,  however,  inserted  in  the 
review  lessons,  which  are  given  at  intervals  throughout  the 
second  and  third  years'  work. 

^[  The  arrangement  of  the  lists  is  such  that  one  or  more 
lessons  in  each  week  throughout  the  first  five  years  are 
devoted  to  exercises  on  homonyms,  antonyms,  synonyms, 
and  words  usually  confused.  There  are  also  given  a  few  of 
the  most  common  rules  of  orthography,  lists  of  abbreviations, 
and  a  few  poems  for  dictation,  memorizing,  etc. 


AMERICAN     BOOK     COMPANY 

(34) 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
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WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


m 


OCT   21  1934 


1935 


RECSiVEO 


MAR  10  1991 


2  '91 


^!L__ + 


LD  21-100w-7,' 


U.C.  BERKELEY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


